RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Somerset County >> Forward >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Pennsylvania

The Commemorative Quarter for Pennsylvania





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 Forward (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 Forward. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Forward is located in Somerset 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 Somerset County: Allegany (MD), Garrett (MD), Bedford, Cambria, Fayette & Westmoreland.

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

  • Somerset County     (The home county of Forward)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward listed first.
    • Hooversville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Blough
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Central City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central City <2>
    • Buckstown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckstown
      • Buckstown is located in Somerset County
    • Kantner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kantner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kantner
      • Kantner is located in Somerset County
    • Stoystown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoystown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoystown
      • Stoystown is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 317 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoystown <2>
    • Mostoller
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mostoller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mostoller
      • Mostoller is located in Somerset County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mostoller
      • From Forward to Mostoller
    • Benson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Hollsopple
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Indian Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
      • Indian Lake is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
    • Paint
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paint have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint
      • Paint is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Davidsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsville
      • Davidsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidsville <2>
    • Coleman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward listed first.
    • New Paris
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Paris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Paris
      • New Paris is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Paris <2>
    • Kegg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kegg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
      • Kegg is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kegg
      • From Forward to Kegg
    • Pleasantville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasantville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
      • Pleasantville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • Schellsburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellsburg
      • Schellsburg is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 317 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Schellsburg <2>
    • Pavia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pavia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pavia
      • From Forward to Pavia
    • Manns Choice
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manns Choice have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manns Choice
      • Manns Choice is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 283 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manns Choice <2>
    • Osterburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Wolfsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolfsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
      • Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
    • Saint Clairsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Clairsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clairsville
      • Saint Clairsville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Yount
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Hyndman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hyndman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyndman
      • Hyndman is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hyndman <2>
    • Bedford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford
      • Bedford is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bedford <2>
    • Charlesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Blair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward listed first.
    • Blue Knob
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Cotton Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
      • Cotton Town is located in Blair County
    • Claysburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Puzzletown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Brooks Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Mill
      • Brooks Mill is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooks Mill
      • From Forward to Brooks Mill
    • Newry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Roaring Spring
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Spring
      • Roaring Spring is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roaring Spring <2>
    • Duncansville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncansville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncansville
      • Duncansville is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncansville <2>
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward listed first.
    • Scalp Level
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scalp Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalp Level
      • Scalp Level is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
    • Belmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
      • Belmont is located in Cambria County
    • Ferndale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Geistown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geistown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
      • Geistown is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
    • Lorain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lorain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorain
      • Lorain is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
    • Dale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Elim
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elim have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elim
      • Elim is located in Cambria County
    • Southmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
      • Southmont is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
    • Daisytown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Johnstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Lilly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Lilly is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
    • Dunlo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Salix
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Fayette County
  • Indiana County
  • Westmoreland County
  • Allegany County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward listed first.
    • Ellerslie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellerslie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie
      • Ellerslie is located in Allegany County (MD)
    • Barrelville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Corriganville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corriganville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriganville
      • Corriganville is located in Allegany County (MD)
    • Mount Savage
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Savage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Savage
      • Mount Savage is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Savage <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Forward ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forward.

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 Forward covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forward, with the one closest to Forward 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Forward had a population of 129 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Reitz
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reitz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reitz
    • Reitz is located in Somerset County
  • Hooversville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Hillsboro
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
    • Hillsboro is located in Somerset County
  • Stoystown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoystown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoystown
    • Stoystown is located in Somerset County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 317 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoystown <2>
  • Lambertsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lambertsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambertsville
    • Lambertsville is located in Somerset County
  • Buckstown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckstown
    • Buckstown is located in Somerset County
  • Mostoller
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mostoller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mostoller
    • Mostoller is located in Somerset County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Mostoller
    • From Forward to Mostoller
  • Hollsopple
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rummel
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rummel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rummel
    • Rummel is located in Somerset County
  • Coleman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Daley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daley
    • Daley is located in Somerset County
  • Crumb
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crumb have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumb
    • Crumb is located in Somerset County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Forward ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forward.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forward, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forward.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Forward:

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

The official website for Somerset County: www.co.somerset.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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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- Forward) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Forward. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.1315, Longitude: -78.8648       In this case, the coordinates for Forward have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Forward, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025