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 Drifton (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 Drifton. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Drifton is located in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County: Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Monroe, Schuylkill, Sullivan & Wyoming.
Below are the counties that are near Drifton. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Drifton:
- Luzerne County (The home county of Drifton)
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Jeddo
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jeddo is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Freeland
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Highlands
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Highlands is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highlands
- Eckley ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Eckley is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckley
- Eckley has also been known as:
- Eckley Miners Village
- Ebervale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ebervale is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebervale
- Harleigh
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hazleton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- White Haven
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- West Hazleton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West Hazleton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hazleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,318 people
- Harwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Harwood is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
- Conyngham
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Albert
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Albert is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert
- Sybertsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Quaker City
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Quaker City is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker City
- Stony Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Stony Run is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Run
- Ededburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Ededburg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ededburg
- Grimville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Grimville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimville
- Krumsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Krumsville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krumsville
- Lenhartsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hamburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Carbon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Beaver Meadows
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Coxes Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Coxes Village is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coxes Village
- Coxes Village has also been known as:
- Cross Village
- Weatherly
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hudsondale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hudsondale is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsondale
- Tresckow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Tresckow is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresckow
- Leslie Run
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Leslie Run is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie Run
- Penn Haven Junction
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Penn Haven Junction is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Haven Junction
- Mud Run
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mud Run is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Run
- Nesquehoning
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Summit Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Side
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- East Side is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Side
- Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
- Unionville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Unionville is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Lansford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Berwick
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Foundryville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Foundryville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foundryville
- Hetlerville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hetlerville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hetlerville
- Briar Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Briar Creek is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 672 people
- Shumans
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Shumans is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumans
- Mifflinville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jonestown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jonestown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
- Lime Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lime Ridge is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Ridge
- Almedia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Almedia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almedia
- Mainville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Mainville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mainville
- Aristes
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aristes is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
- Zaner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Zaner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zaner
- Centralia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lackawanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Lawrenceville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lawrenceville is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
- Belian Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Belian Village is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belian Village
- Old Forge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Spring Brook
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Brook is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Brook
- Moosic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Yostville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Yostville is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yostville
- Minooka
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Minooka is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minooka
- Taylor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Milwaukee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Milwaukee is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwaukee
- Daleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lehigh
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lehigh is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehigh
- Moscow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lehigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Slatedale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Slatedale is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slatedale
- Custer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Custer is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Emerald
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Emerald is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald
- Lochland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lochland is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochland
- Jacksonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Jacksonville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
- Friedens
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Friedens is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens
- Slatington
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Newside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Newside is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newside
- Rising Sun
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rising Sun is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rising Sun
- Rockdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rockdale is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Stines Corner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Stines Corner is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stines Corner
- Schnecksville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Schnecksville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schnecksville
- Balliettsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Balliettsville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balliettsville
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Locust Lakes Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Lakes Village is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Lakes Village
- Kresgeville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Long Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Gilbert
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pocono Pines
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- McMichael
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- McMichael is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMichael
- Brodheadsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rossland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rossland is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossland
- Mount Pocono
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Appenzell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Appenzell is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appenzell
- Pocono Summit
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Tobyhanna
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Reeders
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Northampton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Berlinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Berlinsville is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlinsville
- Danielsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lockport
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lockport is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport
- Walnutport
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cherryville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Arndts
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Arndts is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arndts
- Kreidersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kreidersville is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kreidersville
- Northampton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Northumberland County
- Mount Carmel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Kelayres
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kelayres is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelayres
- McAdoo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Lofty
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lofty is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lofty
- Coaldale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Hometown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Hometown is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hometown
- Girard Manor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Girard Manor is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard Manor
- Oneida
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oneida is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
- Sheppton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Delano
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Delano is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delano
- Grier City - Park Crest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Grier City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Grier City is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grier City
- Nuremberg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Tamaqua
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Mill City ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mill City is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
- Beaumont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Beaumont is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Noxen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Vernon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Vernon is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Drifton, see our County-by-County Page for Drifton.
Cemeteries Near Drifton ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Drifton.
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 Drifton - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Drifton covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- St. Ann's Parish Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. John's Byzantine Catholic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Most Precious Blood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- St. Stanislaus Polish RC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hazleton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. John the Baptist Polish National Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Gabriel's RC Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Union Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Weatherly.
- The Union Cemetery has also been known as:
- Weatherly Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1961621 <2>
- St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Johns Cemetery
- The St. Johns Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2129847 <2>
- Mt. Laurel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. Joseph's RC Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (233 more) ...
- Laurel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Albert Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Albert Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Albert.
- The Albert Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rippletown Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1988179 <2>
- St. Stephens RC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Drifton had a population of 1,369 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Drifton, with the one closest to Drifton listed first.
- Oakdale
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Oakdale is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
- Jeddo
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jeddo is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Foundryville ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Foundryville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foundryville
- Freeland
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Ebervale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ebervale is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebervale
- Upper Lehigh
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Upper Lehigh is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Lehigh
- Eckley ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Eckley is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckley
- Eckley has also been known as:
- Eckley Miners Village
- Sandy Run
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Run is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Run
- Harleigh
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Beaver Meadows
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Drums
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Milnesville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Milnesville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnesville
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- West Hazleton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West Hazleton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hazleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,318 people
- Cranberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cranberry is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry
- Leviston
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Leviston is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leviston
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Drifton. See our List of 1890's Communities around Drifton.
Newspapers Published in Drifton ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Drifton.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Drifton, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Drifton.
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 Drifton:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Luzerne County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Carbon County
- Columbia County
- Lackawanna County
- Lehigh County
- Monroe County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Schuylkill County
- Wyoming 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 Drifton, 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' (or 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- Drifton) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |