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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 Gans (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 Gans. 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 hospitals 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.

Gans is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Garrett (MD), Greene, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland, Monongalia (WV) & Preston (WV).

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

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Gans)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Morris Crossroads
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Morris Crossroads is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Crossroads
    • Smithfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Haydentown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Haydentown is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydentown
    • Point Marion
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Atlantic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Atlantic is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
    • New Geneva
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • New Geneva is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Geneva
    • Winstead
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Winstead is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstead
    • Shoaf
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Shoaf is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoaf
    • Woodside
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Woodside is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
    • Fayette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fayette is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
    • Highhouse
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Highhouse is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highhouse
    • Masontown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoover
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Hoover is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Greensboro
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dilliner
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Dilliner is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
    • Dunkard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Dunkard is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkard
    • Nemacolin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Nemacolin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
    • Ceylon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Ceylon is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
    • Fairdale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairdale is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Mount Morris
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Carmichaels
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumberland Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
    • Stringtown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Stringtown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Fordyce
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fordyce is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fordyce
    • Khedive
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Khedive is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
    • Kirby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Kirby is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirby
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Addison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Confluence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Draketown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Draketown is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
    • Ursina
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Ursina is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
    • Listonburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Listonburg is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Fredericktown - Millsboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Millsboro
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Blainsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Blainsburg is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsburg
    • West Brownsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • West Brownsville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brownsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
    • Deemston
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Deemston is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deemston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 696 people
    • California
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Coal Center
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Daisytown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Centerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Centerville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,133 people
    • Elco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Elco is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
    • Speers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Speers is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speers
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
    • Beallsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Marianna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • North Belle Vernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • North Belle Vernon is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Belle Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,842 people
    • Gibsonton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
    • Scottdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Monessen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Smithton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hawkeye
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
    • Iron Bridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Iron Bridge is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Bridge
    • West Overton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • West Overton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Overton
    • Webster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Webster is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Alverton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Alverton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
  • Garrett County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Friendsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Accident
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • McHenry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Hutton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
  • Marion County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Pleasant View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Pleasant View is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Hoodsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Hoodsville is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoodsville
    • Mount Harmony
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Harmony is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Harmony
    • Rivesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Canton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Canton is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
    • Grant Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Grant Town is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Town
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 590 people
    • Neel ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Neel is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neel
    • Samaria
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Samaria is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Barrackville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Barrackville is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrackville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,270 people
    • Fairmont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairmont is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,370 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairmont <1>
    • Fairview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Fairview is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Estimated population in 2021: 373 people
    • Palatine
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Palatine is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palatine
    • Garden Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden Village is located in Marion County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
  • Monongalia County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Cheat Lake
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
    • Canyon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Canyon is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
    • Baker Ridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
    • Maidsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Maidsville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maidsville
    • Brookhaven
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
    • Morgantown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Morgantown is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgantown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 30,847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Morgantown <1>
    • Star City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Star City is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
    • Westover
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Westover is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,220 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westover <1>
    • Bowlby
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Bowlby is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlby
    • Granville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Granville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,156 people
    • Osage
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Osage is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
    • Laurel Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Laurel Point is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Point
    • Cassville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Cassville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassville
  • Preston County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Rockville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Rockville is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
    • Clifton Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Clifton Mills is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
    • Bruceton Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Brandonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Brandonville is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
    • Little Sandy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Little Sandy is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
    • Masontown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Morgans Glade
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Morgans Glade is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
    • Hazelton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Reedsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Arthurdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Lenox
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lenox is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
    • Gladesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Gladesville is located in Preston County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesville
    • Albright
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Taylor County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.
    • Thornton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Thornton is located in Taylor County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
    • Fetterman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Fetterman is located in Taylor County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fetterman
    • Grafton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Grafton is located in Taylor County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,968 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grafton <1>
    • Knottsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Knottsville is located in Taylor County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knottsville
    • West Grafton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • West Grafton is located in Taylor County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Grafton

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

Cemeteries Near Gans ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gans.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gans, with the one closest to Gans listed first.

  • Fletcher Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Forks of Cheat Baptist Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Blaney Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Pt. Marion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Evergreen Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Eden UMC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Jennewine Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Zion Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Baker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Donaldson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Moriah Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Cagey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (421 more) ...
    • Sunnyside Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Grove Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedar Grove Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Atlantic.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44539 <2>
    • Wolfs Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Gans in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Gans.

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

  • Morris Crossroads
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Morris Crossroads is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Crossroads
  • Smithfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Stewartstown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Stewartstown is located in Monongalia County (WV)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewartstown
  • Old Frame
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Old Frame is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Frame
  • Haydentown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Haydentown is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydentown
  • Point Marion
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • New Geneva
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • New Geneva is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Geneva
  • Winstead
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Winstead is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstead
  • Dilliner
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Dilliner is located in Greene County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
  • Woodside
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Woodside is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodside
  • Easton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Easton is located in Monongalia County (WV)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easton
  • Pisgah
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisgah is located in Preston County (WV)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Fayette
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Fayette is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
    • Mapletown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Mapletown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapletown
    • Masontown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Gans ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gans.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gans, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gans.

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 Gans:

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 Gans, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Gans) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.