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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 Fortney (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 Fortney. 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.

Fortney is located in York 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 York County: Baltimore (MD), Carroll (MD), Harford (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin & Lancaster.

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

  • York County     (The home county of Fortney)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Rossville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Rossville is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
    • Alpine
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Alpine is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Franklintown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Franklintown is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklintown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
    • Erney
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Erney is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erney
    • Andersontown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Andersontown is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersontown
    • Lewisberry
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Wellsville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Nauvoo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Nauvoo is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nauvoo
    • Siddonsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Siddonsburg is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsburg
    • Dillsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Quaker Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Quaker Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Mount Top
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Top is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Top
    • Harmony Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Harmony Grove is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Lake Meade
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Meade is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Meade
    • Latimore
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Latimore is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimore
    • East Berlin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • York Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hampton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hampton is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Abbottstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Gargol
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Gargol is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gargol
    • Heidlersburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Heidlersburg is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidlersburg
    • Newchester
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Newchester is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newchester
    • Idaville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Idaville is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idaville
    • Gardners
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Aspers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Aspers is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspers
      • Aspers has also been known as:
      • Bendersville Station
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aspers <1>
    • New Oxford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Allegheny County
    • Bloomfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bloomfield is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Lisburn
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
    • Allenview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Allenview is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenview
    • Lower Allen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
    • Shiremanstown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
    • Camp Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • New Cumberland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Mechanicsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Trindle Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Trindle Springs is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trindle Springs
    • Lemoyne
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Sporting Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Sporting Hill is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sporting Hill
    • Roxbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Roxbury is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
    • Wormleysburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Boiling Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Dauphin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Highspire
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Steelton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Paxtang
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
    • Middletown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Royalton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Royalton is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
    • Harrisburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hillside Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Hillside Village is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside Village
    • Penbrook
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Penbrook is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penbrook
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,976 people
    • Lawnton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
    • Edgemont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Progress
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Progress is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
    • Clifton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Clifton is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
    • Rutherford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Falmouth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Falmouth is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
    • Billmeyer ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
    • Aberdeen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Aberdeen is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
    • Elizabethtown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Maytown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Rheems
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Rheems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rheems
    • Marietta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Florin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Florin is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florin
    • Milton Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Milton Grove is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Grove
    • Mount Joy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Columbia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Ironville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Ironville is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironville
    • Mastersonville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Mastersonville is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastersonville
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Campbelltown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lawn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Palmyra
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Colebrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
    • Mount Gretna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Syner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Syner is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syner
    • Timber Hills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
    • Fontana
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fontana is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
    • Mount Gretna Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
    • Annville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Quentin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Burd Coleman Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
    • Cleona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Marysville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Perdix
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Perdix is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdix
    • Cove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Cove is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
    • Duncannon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Falling Spring
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Falling Spring is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
    • Mecks Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Mecks Corner is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecks Corner
    • Rose Glen
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose Glen is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Glen
    • New Buffalo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • New Buffalo is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Buffalo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Alinda
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Alinda is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alinda
    • Blain
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Landisburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bailey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bailey is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Elliottsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Elliottsburg is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsburg
  • Baltimore County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Oakland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Freeland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Maryland Line
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
    • Eklo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Eklo is located in Baltimore County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
  • Carroll County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney listed first.
    • Lineboro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lineboro is located in Carroll County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
    • Young Mans Fancy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
    • Roller
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Roller is located in Carroll County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
    • Manchester
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Reeds Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Reeds Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
    • Harney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney

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

Cemeteries Near Fortney ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fortney.

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 Fortney - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fortney, with the one closest to Fortney 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Fortney had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Rossville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Rossville is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rossville
  • Alpine
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Alpine is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
  • Franklintown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklintown is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklintown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
  • Wellsville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Andersontown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Andersontown is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andersontown
  • Erney
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Erney is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erney
  • Lewisberry
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mount Royal
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Mount Royal is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Royal
  • Siddonsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Siddonsburg is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddonsburg
  • Lisburn
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
  • Dillsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Mount Top
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Top is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Top
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Nantilly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Nantilly is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantilly
    • Bowmansdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bowmansdale is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmansdale
    • Roler
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Roler is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roler

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

Newspapers Published in Fortney ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fortney.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fortney, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fortney.

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 Fortney:

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 'straight-line' (or 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- Fortney) 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 Fortney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.