Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:
- That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
- We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
- On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.
By learning about Dickinson (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.
As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Dickinson. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Dickinson is located in Cumberland County.
To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cumberland County: Adams, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry & York.
Below are the counties that are near Dickinson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dickinson:
- Cumberland County (The home county of Dickinson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Huntsdale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Montsera
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Big Spring
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Barnitz
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Bears Crossroads
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bears Crossroads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bears Crossroads
- Newville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Plainfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Lees Cross Roads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Mount Holly Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Craighead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Craighead is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craighead
- Hunters Run
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hunters Run is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
- Carlisle
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Washington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Washington is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Idaville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Idaville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idaville
- Bendersville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gardners
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gargol
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gargol is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gargol
- Aspers
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Latimore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Latimore is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimore
- Guernsey
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Guernsey is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guernsey
- Arendtsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Biglerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Trust
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- York Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cashtown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Goldenville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Goldenville is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldenville
- Allegheny County
- Bloomfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bloomfield is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Harrisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hillside Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hillside Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Village
- Steelton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Dauphin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Hunter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Hunter is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hunter
- Lucknow
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lucknow is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucknow
- Paxtang
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Edgemont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Penbrook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Penbrook is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penbrook
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,976 people
- Highspire
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lawnton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
- Progress
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Progress is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Bloomburg Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomburg Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomburg Village
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Mowersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Mowersville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mowersville
- Pinola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pinola is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinola
- Orrstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Caledonia Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Caledonia Park is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia Park
- Green Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
- Mount Union
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Union is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Union
- Brownsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brownsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Pleasant Hall
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Hall is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hall
- Roxbury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Roxbury is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Fayetteville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- West Fayetteville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- West Fayetteville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fayetteville
- Newbridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Newbridge is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbridge
- Chambersburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fulton County
- Burnt Cabins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Blairs Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Blairs Mills is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairs Mills
- Neelyton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Shade Gap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Orbisonia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Juniata County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- East Rutherford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- East Rutherford is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rutherford
- Perulack
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Perulack is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perulack
- Waterloo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Waterloo is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- McCullochs Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- McCullochs Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullochs Mills
- Peru Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Peru Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Mills
- Reeds Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Reeds Gap is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Gap
- Doyles Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Doyles Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyles Mills
- Old Port
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Old Port is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Port
- Mexico
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mexico is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mexico
- Port Royal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Locust Run
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Locust Run is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Run
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Landisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Alinda
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Alinda is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alinda
- Centre
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Centre is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centre
- Cisna Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cisna Run is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisna Run
- Falling Spring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Falling Spring is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
- Bixler
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bixler is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bixler
- New Germantown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Elliottsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Elliottsburg is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsburg
- Kistler
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Kistler is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
- Mecks Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mecks Corner is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecks Corner
- Blain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Eshcol
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Eshcol is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eshcol
- Ickesburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Ickesburg is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ickesburg
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Uniontown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Uniontown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Dillsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mount Top
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Mount Top is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Top
- Siddonsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Siddonsburg is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsburg
- Wellsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Andersontown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Andersontown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersontown
- Roler
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Roler is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roler
- Rossville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rossville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
- Harmony Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Harmony Grove is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
- Nauvoo
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Nauvoo is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nauvoo
- Rudytown ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Rudytown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudytown
- Alpine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Alpine is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
- Davidsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Davidsburg is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsburg
- Carroll County (MD)
- Harney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Emmitsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Sabillasville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Highfield - Cascade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Pen Mar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Pen Mar is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pen Mar has also been known as:
- Pen Mar Park
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dickinson, see our County-by-County Page for Dickinson.
Cemeteries Near Dickinson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dickinson.
This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Dickinson - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dickinson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Prospect Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- John Graham Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Newville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Holly Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Cumberland Valley Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Green Spring Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Spring Cemetery
- The Green Spring Cemetery has also been known as:
- Irishtown Cemetery
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Goodyear Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Westminister Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Gods Acre Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Springville Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Ashland Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (206 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- McClures Gap Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dickinson had a population of 843 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dickinson, with the one closest to Dickinson listed first.
- Longsdorf
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Longsdorf is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longsdorf
- Huntsdale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Hays Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hays Grove is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays Grove
- Montsera
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Walnut Bottom
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Bottom is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Bottom
- Mount Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Rock is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Rock
- Big Spring
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Stoughstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Stoughstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoughstown
- Pine Grove Furnace
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Furnace is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Furnace
- Barnitz
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Greason
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Greason is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greason
- Kerrsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Kerrsville is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrsville
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Newville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lees Cross Roads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Plainfield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dickinson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dickinson.
Newspapers Published in Dickinson ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dickinson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dickinson, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dickinson.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Dickinson:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Cumberland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Allegheny County
- Dauphin County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Juniata County
- Perry County
- York County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Washington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Dickinson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dickinson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |