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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 Eau Claire (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 Eau Claire. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Eau Claire is located in Butler County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Butler County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Clarion, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango & Westmoreland.

Below are the counties that are near Eau Claire. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Eau Claire:

  • Butler County     (The home county of Eau Claire)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Cherry Valley
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley
      • Cherry Valley is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Ferris
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ferris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferris
      • Ferris is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ferris
      • From Eau Claire to Ferris
    • Murrinsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Bruin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
    • Hooker
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hooker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
      • Hooker is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hooker
      • From Eau Claire to Hooker
    • Petrolia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Bovard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bovard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bovard
      • Bovard is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bovard
      • From Eau Claire to Bovard
    • Karns City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Branchton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • West Sunbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Sunbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sunbury
      • West Sunbury is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Sunbury <3>
    • Forestville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Harrisville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Parker
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
      • Parker is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 793 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parker <3>
    • Fredericksburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Armstrong County
    • Kaylor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Queenstown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Queenstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
      • Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Queenstown
      • From Eau Claire to Queenstown
    • Bradys Bend
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Wattersonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rimer
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rimer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
      • Rimer is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rimer
      • From Eau Claire to Rimer
    • Tidal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tidal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidal
      • Tidal is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tidal
      • From Eau Claire to Tidal
    • Cowansville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Laird Crossing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Worthington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Shadyside Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Dee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dee
      • Dee is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dee
      • From Eau Claire to Dee
  • Beaver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Goehring
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goehring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goehring
      • Goehring is located in Beaver County
    • Lillyville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wurtemburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Clarion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Foxburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Saint Petersburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Petersburg
      • Saint Petersburg is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Petersburg <3>
    • Alum Rock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • West Freedom
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Turkey City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Lamartine
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Monroe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Callensburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Bela
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bela. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bela
      • Bela is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bela
      • From Eau Claire to Bela
    • Jefferson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jefferson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Jefferson is located in Clarion County
    • Toby
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Toby. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toby
      • Toby is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Toby
      • From Eau Claire to Toby
    • Wentlings Corners
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Beaver City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
      • Beaver City is located in Clarion County
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Deckard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deckard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckard
      • Deckard is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deckard
      • From Eau Claire to Deckard
    • Cochranton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cochranton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochranton
      • Cochranton is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,063 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cochranton <3>
  • Forest County
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Grant City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
      • Grant City is located in Lawrence County
    • Harlansburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Rose Point
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Volant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volant
      • Volant is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Volant <3>
    • McCaslin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McCaslin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCaslin
      • McCaslin is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McCaslin
      • From Eau Claire to McCaslin
    • Altman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Wilmington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Wilmington
      • New Wilmington is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Wilmington <3>
    • Energy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ellport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • New Castle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • South New Castle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South New Castle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South New Castle
      • South New Castle is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • West New Castle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Mercer County
  • Venango County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.
    • Eakin Corner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Clintonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Emlenton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emlenton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emlenton
      • Emlenton is located in Venango County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 567 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emlenton <3>
    • Saint George
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Nectarine
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nectarine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectarine
      • Nectarine is located in Venango County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nectarine
      • From Eau Claire to Nectarine
    • Bullion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bullion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
      • Bullion is located in Venango County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bullion
      • From Eau Claire to Bullion
    • Barkeyville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barkeyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barkeyville
      • Barkeyville is located in Venango County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barkeyville <3>
    • Pearl
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Coal City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Nickleville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Henderson Station
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cranberry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Hill City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
      • Hill City is located in Venango County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Eau Claire, see our County-by-County Page for Eau Claire.

Cemeteries Near Eau Claire ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eau Claire.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Eau Claire covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Eau Claire had a population of 231 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Eau Claire had a population of 294 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Eau Claire, with the one closest to Eau Claire listed first.

  • Eakin Corner
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Six Points
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Six Points have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
    • Six Points is located in Butler County
  • Sandy Point
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Point
    • Sandy Point is located in Butler County
  • Hilliards
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilliards have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilliards
    • Hilliards is located in Butler County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hilliards <3>
  • Argentine
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argentine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argentine
    • Argentine is located in Butler County
  • Crawford Corners
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crawford Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford Corners
    • Crawford Corners is located in Butler County
  • Murrinsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Boyers
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyers
    • Boyers is located in Butler County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyers <3>
  • Annandale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annandale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annandale
    • Annandale is located in Butler County
  • Clintonville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Bruin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Foxburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Dotter
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dotter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dotter
      • Dotter is located in Venango County
    • Moniteau
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moniteau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moniteau
      • Moniteau is located in Butler County
    • Saint Petersburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Petersburg
      • Saint Petersburg is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Petersburg <3>

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Eau Claire. See our List of 1890's Communities around Eau Claire.

Newspapers Published in Eau Claire ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eau Claire.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eau Claire, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Eau Claire.

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 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 Eau Claire:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Eau Claire. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Butler County: www.co.butler.pa.us/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Eau Claire, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Eau Claire) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Eau Claire. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1361, Longitude: -79.7984    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 26 Jul 2025