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 Excelsior (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 Excelsior. 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 doctors 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.
Excelsior is located in Northumberland 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 Northumberland County: Columbia, Dauphin, Lycoming, Montour, Schuylkill, Snyder & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Excelsior. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Excelsior:
- Northumberland County (The home county of Excelsior)
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Locust Gap
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Locust Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Gap
- Gowen City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
- Marshallton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
- Alaska
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Alaska is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
- Dooleyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Dooleyville is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleyville
- Natalie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Natalie is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natalie
- Shamokin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bear Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bear Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Gap
- Mount Carmel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kulpmont
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bear Valley is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Edgewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Meckville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Meckville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meckville
- Bethel
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Schubert
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Schubert is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schubert
- Rehrersburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rehrersburg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehrersburg
- Strausstown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Aetna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wintersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wintersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintersville
- Shartlesville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- New Schaefferstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- New Schaefferstown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Schaefferstown
- Bernville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hamburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Carbon County
- Tresckow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Tresckow is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresckow
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Locustdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Aristes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Aristes is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
- Centralia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Numidia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Numidia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Numidia
- Newlin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Newlin is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
- Queen City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Queen City is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
- Slabtown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Slabtown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slabtown
- Catawissa
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Grovania
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Grovania is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grovania
- Rupert
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rupert is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rupert
- Mainville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mainville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mainville
- Bloomsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Erdman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Erdman is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdman
- Williamstown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Gratz
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lykens
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pillow
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Loyalton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Loyalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyalton
- Berrysburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Elizabethville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Carsonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carsonville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsonville
- Rife
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rife is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rife
- Enders
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Enders is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enders
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Gold Mine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gold Mine is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Mine
- Murray
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Murray is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
- Green Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Green Point is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Point
- Inwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Inwood is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
- Lickdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lickdale is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickdale
- Fort Indiantown Gap
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fort Indiantown Gap is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Indiantown Gap
- Fredericksburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Greble
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Greble is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greble
- Jonestown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bunker Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Bunker Hill is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Mount Zion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Heilmandale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Heilmandale is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilmandale
- Luzerne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Newtown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Newtown is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Mountain Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Grove is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- East Berwick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
- Nescopeck
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Tomhicken
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Tomhicken is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomhicken
- Beach Haven
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beach Haven is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Haven
- Conyngham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Harwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Harwood is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
- Sybertsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Hazleton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- West Hazleton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hazleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,318 people
- New Columbus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- Harleigh
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Montour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Mechanicsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Danville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mooresburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Mooresburg is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
- Washingtonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Washingtonville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Exchange
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Exchange is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
- Perry County
- Liverpool
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Pitman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Lavelle
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Haas
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Haas is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
- Lavelle - Locustdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Lavelle - Locustdale is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavelle - Locustdale
- Ashland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Beurys Lake
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Beurys Lake is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beurys Lake
- Fountain Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fountain Springs is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Springs
- Gordon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fountain
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fountain is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
- Hegins
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Buck Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Buck Run is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Run
- Glendower
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Glendower is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendower
- Snyder County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Shamokin Dam
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hummels Wharf
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dundore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Dundore is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundore
- Port Trevorton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Selinsgrove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Chapman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Chapman is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Kratzerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
- Freeburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Freeburg is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Hoffer
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hoffer is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffer
- McKees Half Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- McKees Half Falls is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKees Half Falls
- Kreamer
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pallas
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pallas is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pallas
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Dry Valley Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lewisburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Linntown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Linntown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linntown
- West Milton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- West Milton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milton
- New Columbia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Berlin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mazeppa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Mifflinburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Excelsior, see our County-by-County Page for Excelsior.
Cemeteries Near Excelsior ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Excelsior.
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 Excelsior - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Excelsior covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- St. Stanislaus Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shamokin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- All Saints Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Tifereth Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jacobs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sunnyside Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- St. Peter's Reformed Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Brock Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pine Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Christ Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- St. Joseph's Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Odd Fellows Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
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 Excelsior had a population of 297 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Excelsior, with the one closest to Excelsior listed first.
- Greenback
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Greenback is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenback
- Gowen City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
- Helfenstein
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Helfenstein is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helfenstein
- Locust Gap
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Locust Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Gap
- Sagon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sagon is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagon
- Alaska
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Alaska is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
- Strong
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Strong is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strong
- Shamokin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Pitman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Locust Summit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Locust Summit is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Summit
- Mount Carmel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bear Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bear Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Gap
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Line Mountain
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Line Mountain is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Line Mountain
- Kehler
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Kehler is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kehler
- Haas
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Haas is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Excelsior. See our List of 1890's Communities around Excelsior.
Newspapers Published in Excelsior ...
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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Excelsior.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Excelsior, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Excelsior.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Excelsior:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Northumberland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Carbon County
- Columbia County
- Dauphin County
- Lebanon County
- Luzerne County
- Montour County
- Perry County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- Union 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 Excelsior, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Excelsior) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |