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 Distant (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 Distant. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Distant is located in Armstrong 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 Armstrong County: Allegheny, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson & Westmoreland.
Below are the counties that are near Distant. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Distant:
- Armstrong County (The home county of Distant)
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- South Bethlehem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- South Bethlehem is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bethlehem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
- Putneyville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Putneyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putneyville
- Deanville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Deanville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanville
- Eddyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Millville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Millville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- McWilliams
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Muff
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Muff is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muff
- Dee
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dee is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dee
- Tidal
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Tidal is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidal
- Echo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Echo is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Oscar
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Oscar is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
- Dayton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Frenchs Corners
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Frenchs Corners is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchs Corners
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Sligo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sligo is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sligo
- Karns
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Karns is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karns
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Kepples Corners
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepples Corners
- Karns City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Petrolia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Petrolia is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Bruin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bruin is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
- Chicora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Fairview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
- Fenelton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Millerstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Millerstown is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerstown
- Saint Joe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Saint Joe is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
- Dennys Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Dennys Mills is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennys Mills
- Leasureville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Leasureville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasureville
- North Oakland
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- North Oakland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Oakland
- Greece City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Greece City is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greece City
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- New Bethlehem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fairmont City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Leatherwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Hawthorn
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Piolett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Piolett is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piolett
- Lawsonham
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lawsonham is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonham
- Brinkerton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Brinkerton is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkerton
- Frogtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Frogtown is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogtown
- Rimersburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Crates
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Crates is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crates
- Curllsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Curllsville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curllsville
- Sligo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bela
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bela is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bela
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Troutville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Troutville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Helvetia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Stanley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Elk County
- Millstone
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Millstone is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millstone
- Forest County
- Clarington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Smicksburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Beyer
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Beyer is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyer
- Trade City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Georgeville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Plumville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Plumville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
- Elkin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Elkin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin
- Ambrose
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Davis
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Davis is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Mottarns Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mottarns Mill is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottarns Mill
- Willet
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Willet is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willet
- Marchand
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Marchand is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand
- Chambersville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chambersville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersville
- Creekside
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Creekside is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creekside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Langville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Langville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langville
- Pansy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pansy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Timblin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Worthville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Ohl
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ohl is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohl
- Summerville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Summerville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
- Coolspring
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Baxter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Baxter is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Valier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Corsica
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Corsica is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corsica
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Green Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Oliveburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
- Brookville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
- Venango County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Nickleville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Nickleville is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickleville
- Eakin Corner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Eakin Corner is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eakin Corner
- Emlenton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fertigs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fertigs is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertigs
- Hill City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hill City is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
- Saint George
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saint George is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Bagdad
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagdad
- Hyde Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Leechburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Leechburg is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leechburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- East Vandergrift
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vandergrift
- Population from the 2020 Census: 631 people
- Vandergrift
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Weinel Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Weinel Crossroads is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinel Crossroads
- Oklahoma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oklahoma is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 739 people
- Avonmore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Distant, see our County-by-County Page for Distant.
Cemeteries Near Distant ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Distant.
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 Distant - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Distant covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Oakland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- New Bethlehem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Duncan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cochran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mateer Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brush Valley Brethren Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton Glad Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Paradise Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Croyle Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- St. Nicholas Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Zion Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- Smith Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Marys Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Marys Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Wick City.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #478503 <2>
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 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>
While we didn't find Distant in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Distant.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Distant, with the one closest to Distant listed first.
- Deanville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Deanville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanville
- Putneyville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Putneyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putneyville
- New Bethlehem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fairmont City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kellersburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Kellersburg is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellersburg
- Goheenville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Goheenville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goheenville
- Leatherwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Eddyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Mahoning
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mahoning is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahoning
- Dee
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dee is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dee
- Muff
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Muff is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muff
- Belknap
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Belknap is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- McWilliams
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Widnoon
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Widnoon is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widnoon
- Templeton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Distant. See our List of 1890's Communities around Distant.
Newspapers Published in Distant ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Distant.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Distant, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Distant.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites 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 Distant:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Armstrong County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Butler County
- Clarion County
- Clearfield County
- Elk County
- Forest County
- Indiana County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence County
- Venango County
- Westmoreland 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 Distant, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Distant) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |