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 Drake (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 Drake. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Drake is primarily located in Lawrence County. A portion of Drake extends into Mercer 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 Lawrence County: Columbiana (OH), Mahoning (OH), Beaver, Butler & Mercer.
Below are the counties that are near Drake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Drake:
- Lawrence County (The home county of Drake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Volant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Harlansburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harlansburg is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlansburg
- New Wilmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Grant City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Grant City is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
- McCaslin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- McCaslin is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCaslin
- Rose Point
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Rose Point is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Point
- Altman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Altman is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altman
- New Castle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Nashua
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Nashua is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nashua
- Oakland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Oakwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Pulaski
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Pulaski is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pulaski
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Fredericksburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Fredericksburg is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
- Parker
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Kaylor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kaylor is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaylor
- Queenstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
- Bradys Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bradys Bend is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradys Bend
- Beaver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Ellwood City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lillyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Lillyville is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillyville
- Wurtemburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Wurtemburg is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurtemburg
- Frisco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Frisco is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
- North Sewickley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- North Sewickley is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sewickley
- Goehring
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Goehring is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goehring
- Koppel
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Homewood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Homewood is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Thompson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Thompson is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson
- Big Beaver
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Big Beaver is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Beaver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,827 people
- New Galilee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- New Galilee is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Galilee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 349 people
- Barrisville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Barrisville is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrisville
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Slippery Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Forestville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Forestville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Harrisville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Branchton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Branchton is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branchton
- West Liberty
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Liberty is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Bovard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Bovard is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bovard
- Hallston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hallston is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallston
- Portersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Murrinsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Murrinsville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrinsville
- Prospect
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- West Sunbury
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ferris
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Ferris is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferris
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Foxburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Saint Petersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alum Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Alum Rock is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Rock
- Lamartine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lamartine is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamartine
- West Freedom
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- West Freedom is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Freedom
- Turkey City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Turkey City is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey City
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Atlantic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Atlantic is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
- Adamsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Adamsville is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Cochranton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Deckard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Deckard is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckard
- Geneva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Geneva is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
- Pymatuning South
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pymatuning South is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pymatuning South
- Turner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Turner is located in Crawford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Leesburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Leesburg is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Millburn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Millburn is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburn
- Courtneys Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Courtneys Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtneys Mills
- North Liberty
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- North Liberty is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
- Swamproot
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Swamproot is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swamproot
- Perrys Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Perrys Corners is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrys Corners
- Mercer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Enterprise
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Enterprise is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Carbon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Carbon is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Jackson Center
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Coolspring
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Coolspring is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolspring
- Perrine Corners
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Perrine Corners is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrine Corners
- Venango County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Barkeyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nectarine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nectarine is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectarine
- Henderson Station
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Henderson Station is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson Station
- Clintonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bullion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bullion is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
- Pearl
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pearl is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
- Eakin Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Eakin Corner is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eakin Corner
- Polk
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Polk is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polk
- Population from the 2020 Census: 768 people
- Saint George
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Saint George is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Coal City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Coal City is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Emlenton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Nicklin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Nicklin is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicklin
- York County
- Adamsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Adamsville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
- Columbiana County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- East Palestine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- State Line ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- State Line is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- Unity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Unity is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- New Waterford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Columbiana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Rock
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Rock is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Rock
- Franklin County (OH)
- Hilltop
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hilltop is located in Franklin County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
- Mahoning County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Lowellville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Campbell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- New Middletown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hazelton is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelton
- Struthers
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Poland
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Youngstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Boardman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- North Lima
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cornersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cornersburg is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornersburg
- Perkins Corners
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Perkins Corners is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkins Corners
- Austintown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Trumbull County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- West Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- West Hill is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hill
- Hubbard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Masury
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Maplewood Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Maplewood Park is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplewood Park
- Brookfield Center
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brookfield Center is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield Center
- Five Points
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Five Points is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Weldon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Weldon is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weldon
- Coalburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Coalburg is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
- Yankee Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Yankee Lake is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
- Hartford
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hartford is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Orangeville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Orangeville is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orangeville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
- Paynes Corner
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Paynes Corner is located in Trumbull County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynes Corner
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Drake, see our County-by-County Page for Drake.
Cemeteries Near Drake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Drake.
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 Drake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Drake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- Stevenson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Center Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Volant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- North Liberty Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Carpenders Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- White Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Courtney Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- East Brook Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Brook Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- The East Brook Presbyterian Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- East Brook United Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- Eastbrook Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- Eastbrook United Presbyterian Church Cemetery
- Woodland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fair Oaks Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fayette Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Findley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (312 more) ...
- Briar Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mercer Citizens Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer Citizens Cemetery
- The Mercer Citizens Cemetery has also been known as:
- Citizens Cemetery
- Beloved Disciple Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
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 Drake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Drake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Drake, with the one closest to Drake listed first.
- London
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- London is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London
- Leesburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Leesburg is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Volant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Plain Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Plain Grove is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain Grove
- Millburn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Millburn is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millburn
- Indian Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Run is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Run
- Hope Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Hope Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope Mills
- North Liberty
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- North Liberty is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
- Harlansburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harlansburg is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harlansburg
- Eastbrook
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eastbrook is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastbrook
- Jacksville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jacksville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksville
- Slippery Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Pardoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Pardoe is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pardoe
- Hoagland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hoagland is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoagland
- New Wilmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Drake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Drake.
Newspapers Published in Drake ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Drake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Drake, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Drake.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Drake:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Lawrence County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Beaver County
- Butler County
- Clarion County
- Crawford County
- Mercer County
- Venango County
- York County
- Columbiana County
- Franklin County
- Mahoning County
- Trumbull 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 Drake, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Drake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |