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 Eureka (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 Eureka. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Eureka is located in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana & Somerset.
Below are the counties that are near Eureka. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Eureka:
- Westmoreland County (The home county of Eureka)
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Smithton
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- West Newton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wyano
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wyano is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyano
- Yukon
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Webster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Webster is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- North Belle Vernon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North Belle Vernon is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Belle Vernon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,842 people
- Alverton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Alverton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
- Hawkeye
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
- Blackburn ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Hunker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Madison
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gibsonton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
- Monessen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Sunny Side
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
- Buena Vista
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Elizabeth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Boston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Clairton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
- Versailles
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Versailles is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,452 people
- West Elizabeth
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Liberty is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,438 people
- Mendelssohn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
- Coal Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Glassport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson Hills is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 11,136 people
- Jefferson Hills has also been known as:
- Jefferson
- Armstrong County
- Edmon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Edmon is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmon
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Banning
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Banning is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banning
- Whitsett
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Whitsett is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsett
- Fuller
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fuller is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Lynn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lynn is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Perryopolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Arnold City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Arnold City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold City
- Brownstown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Brownstown is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
- Fairhope
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Fairhope is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhope
- Lynnwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lynnwood is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
- Fayette City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
- Redstone
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Redstone is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Belle Vernon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dickerson Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dickerson Run is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickerson Run
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Rices Landing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stringtown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Clarksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Carmichaels
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chartiers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chartiers is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
- Cumberland Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Fairdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Nemacolin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Jefferson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
- Ceylon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Ceylon is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
- Khedive
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Khedive is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
- Lippincott
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lippincott is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippincott
- Greensboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- White
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- White is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
- Bow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bow is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Bakersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Bakersville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Draketown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
- Confluence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Lexington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Lexington is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Donora
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Allenport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Roscoe
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Roscoe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 791 people
- Speers
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Speers is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
- Charleroi
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Dunlevy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Twilight
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Twilight is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilight
- Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
- California
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Elco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Elco is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Black Diamond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Black Diamond is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
- Long Branch
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Long Branch is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Branch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
- North Charleroi
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- North Charleroi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Charleroi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
- Riverview
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Riverview is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Eureka, see our County-by-County Page for Eureka.
Cemeteries Near Eureka ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eureka.
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 Eureka - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Eureka covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- St. Timothys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Hoffman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffman Cemetery
- The Hoffman Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hope Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Old Brick Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45096 <2>
- East Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- West Newton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Markle Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mt. Auburn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Auburn Cemetery
- The Mt. Auburn Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fayette City Cemetery
- St. John the Baptist RC Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John the Baptist RC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John the Baptist RC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Perryopolis.
- The St. John the Baptist RC Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Johns Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46044 <2>
- Mt. Washington Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Yukon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Milbell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Weaver & Waddell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Belle Vernon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (419 more) ...
- Havely Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cochran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Guffey Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
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 Eureka in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Eureka.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Eureka, with the one closest to Eureka listed first.
- Jacobs Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jacobs Creek is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobs Creek
- Smithton
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Fitz Henry
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Fitz Henry is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitz Henry
- Banning
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Banning is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banning
- Whitsett
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Whitsett is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsett
- Port Royal
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Port Royal is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Royal
- Fuller
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fuller is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Layton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Layton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- Mendon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mendon is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendon
- Perryopolis
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- West Newton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Waltz Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Waltz Mill is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltz Mill
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Belle Vernon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fayette City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
- Redstone
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Redstone is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Eureka. See our List of 1890's Communities around Eureka.
Newspapers Published in Eureka ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eureka.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Eureka, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Eureka.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Eureka:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Westmoreland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Armstrong County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Indiana County
- Somerset County
- Washington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Eureka, 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- Eureka) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |