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 Five Forks (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 Five Forks. 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.
Name Variations for Five Forks ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Five Forks: Five Frks.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Five Forks. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Five Forks.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Five Forks is located in Bedford 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 Bedford County: Allegany (MD), Blair, Cambria, Fulton, Huntingdon & Somerset.
Below are the counties that are near Five Forks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Five Forks:
- Bedford County (The home county of Five Forks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Robinsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Robinsonville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsonville
- Purcell
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Purcell is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Rainsburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rainsburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Everett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Charlesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Charlesville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Ott Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ott Town is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Dallas
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
- Beans Cove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Beans Cove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Cove
- Cliffs ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Cliffs is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffs
- Penn Wood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Penn Wood is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Wood
- Manns Choice
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Blair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Cotton Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cotton Town is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
- Claysburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Cove Gap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cove Gap is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- Fort Loudon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mercersburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cowans Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cowans Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowans Village
- Dickey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Dickey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Claylick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Markes
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Markes is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markes
- Metal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Metal is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metal
- Welsh Run
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Emmaville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Emmaville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmaville
- Crystal Spring
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Crystal Spring is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Spring
- Dott
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Dott is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
- Sipes Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Akersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Akersville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
- Warfordsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Covalt
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Needmore
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Valley-Hi
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Valley-Hi is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley-Hi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
- Websters Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- Harrisonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Coalmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coalmont is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Dudley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dudley is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
- Middletown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Middletown is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Broad Top City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Broad Top City is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broad Top City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
- Robertsdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Robertsdale is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsdale
- Cooks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cooks is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks
- Joller ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Joller is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joller
- Kimmel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kimmel is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmel
- Maddensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Selea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Fairhope
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- New Baltimore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Baltimore is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baltimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
- Johnsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Downey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Downey is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
- Wellersburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wellersburg is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Central City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Lake is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
- Callimont
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Callimont is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callimont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
- Wittenberg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Wittenberg is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Buckstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Buckstown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckstown
- Ogletown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ogletown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogletown
- Berlin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Allegany County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Flintstone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Little Orleans
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rush
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rush is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
- Town Creek ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Town Creek is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
- Green Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Green Ridge is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
- Ellerslie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ellerslie is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie
- Keifers
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Keifers is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keifers
- Corriganville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Corriganville is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriganville
- Cumberland
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Savage Junction
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Savage Junction is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Savage Junction
- Shanty Town ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shanty Town is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
- Oldtown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Pearre
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Pearre is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
- Hancock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Pool
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Clear Spring
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Hedgesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Little Georgetown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Hampshire County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Okonoko
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Okonoko is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okonoko
- Donaldson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Donaldson is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Points
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Points is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
- Mineral County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Ridgeley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carpendale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Carpendale is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
- Wiley Ford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Short Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Short Gap is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Gap
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Orleans Cross Roads
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
- Woodmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
- Hancock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Doe Gully
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
- Bath
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Berkeley Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Hansrote
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Hansrote is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
- Berryville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Magnolia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Magnolia is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Sleepy Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Paw Paw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cherry Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Five Forks, see our County-by-County Page for Five Forks.
Cemeteries Near Five Forks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Five Forks.
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 Five Forks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Five Forks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Indian Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- McKees Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Prosperity Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ruby Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hendershot Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Everett Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Oakdale Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Browning Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lashley Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Robinette Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Pauls Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Pauls Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the west of Hancock (MD).
- The St. Pauls Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Pauls Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #81574 <3>
- Hill Chapel Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (172 more) ...
- Hershberger Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Fellowship & Union Cemeteries
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Five Forks in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Five Forks.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Chaneysville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Chaneysville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaneysville
- Robinsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Robinsonville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsonville
- Clearville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Purcell
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Purcell is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Rainsburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rainsburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Mattie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mattie is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Everett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Charlesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Charlesville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Ott Town
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Ott Town is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
- Elbinsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Elbinsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbinsville
- Mench
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mench is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mench
- Buck Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Buck Valley is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck Valley
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Emmaville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Emmaville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmaville
- Ashcom
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Ashcom is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcom
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Five Forks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Five Forks.
Newspapers Published in Five Forks ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Five Forks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Five Forks, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Five Forks.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Five Forks:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Blair County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Somerset County
- Allegany County
- Washington County
- Berkeley County
- Hampshire County
- Mineral County
- Morgan 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Five Forks) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Five Forks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |