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

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 Hartley (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 Hartley. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Hartley 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 Hartley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hartley:

  • Bedford County     (The home county of Hartley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Penn Wood
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Penn Wood is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Wood
    • Cliffs ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Cliffs is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffs
    • Mount Dallas
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
    • Yount
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Yount is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yount
    • Ott Town
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Ott Town is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
    • Bedford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wolfsburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
    • Charlesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Charlesville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
    • Saint Clairsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Saint Clairsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clairsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Everett
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Manns Choice
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Salemville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Salemville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salemville
  • Blair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Cotton Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Cotton Town is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
    • Claysburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • East Sharpsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • East Sharpsburg is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sharpsburg
    • Martinsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Clover Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Clover Creek is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Creek
    • Roaring Spring
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Blue Knob
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Blue Knob is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Knob
    • Brooks Mill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Brooks Mill is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Mill
    • Puzzletown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Puzzletown is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puzzletown
    • Newry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Beavertown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Beavertown is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beavertown
    • Duncansville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Dunlo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Dunlo is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlo
    • Beaverdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaverdale is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdale
    • Puritan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Puritan is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Puritan
    • Salix
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Salix is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salix
    • Scalp Level
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Scalp Level is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalp Level
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
    • Sidman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bens Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bens Creek is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bens Creek
    • Portage
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Michael
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Saint Michael is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Michael
    • Sonman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Sonman is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonman
    • Spring Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Hill is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
    • Geistown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Geistown is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Cowans Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cowans Village is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowans Village
    • Cove Gap
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Cove Gap is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
    • Fort Loudon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Metal
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Metal is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metal
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Crystal Spring
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Crystal Spring is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Spring
    • Akersville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Akersville is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Akersville
    • Valley-Hi
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Valley-Hi is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley-Hi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
    • Emmaville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Emmaville is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmaville
    • Wells Tannery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Wells Tannery is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wells Tannery
    • Sipes Mill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
    • Laidig
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Laidig is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
    • Pleasant Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
    • Dott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Dott is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
    • Harrisonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
    • Needmore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Covalt
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Covalt is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
  • Huntingdon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Coalmont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Coalmont is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
    • Middletown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Middletown is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
    • Dudley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Dudley is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
    • Broad Top City
      (20 miles [32.2 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Robertsdale is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsdale
    • Cooks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cooks is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks
    • Joller ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Joller is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joller
    • Kimmel
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Kimmel is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmel
    • Rocky Ridge ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Rocky Ridge is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ridge
    • Salter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Salter is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salter
    • Coles ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Coles is located in Huntingdon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
    • Entriken
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • New Baltimore
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • New Baltimore is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Baltimore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Ogletown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Ogletown is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogletown
    • Central City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Fairhope
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Buckstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Buckstown is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckstown
    • Indian Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Indian Lake is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 375 people
    • Downey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Downey is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downey
    • Johnsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Forward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Forward is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forward
    • Shanksville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Windber
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hooversville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Hooversville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooversville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 589 people
  • Allegany County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Flintstone
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Rush
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Rush is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
    • Ellerslie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellerslie is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerslie
    • Little Orleans
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Town Creek ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Town Creek is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
    • Corriganville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Corriganville is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriganville
    • Mount Savage Junction
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Savage Junction is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Savage Junction
    • Green Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Green Ridge is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Ridge
    • Barrelville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Barrelville is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrelville
    • Cumberland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Shanty Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Shanty Town is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
  • Washington County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Hancock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hancock is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,522 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hancock <1>
    • Pearre
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Pearre is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
  • Morgan County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hartley, with the one closest to Hartley listed first.
    • Hancock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
    • Orleans Cross Roads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
    • Doe Gully
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
    • Woodmont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
    • Bath
      (29 miles [46.7 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Hansrote
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Hansrote is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
    • Berryville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville

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

Cemeteries Near Hartley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hartley.

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

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

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

  • Hershberger Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ritchey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Bedford Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Indian Springs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Everett Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Hetrick Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Burger Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Steele Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Fishertown Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Schellsburg Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellsburg Cemetery
    • The Schellsburg Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Chestnut Ridge Cemetery
    • Old Log Church Cemetery
    • Union Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1964953 <2>
  • Friends Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (184 more) ...
    • Hopewell Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Potter Creek Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Keagy Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

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

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

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

  • Lutzville
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Lutzville is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lutzville
  • Cliffs ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Cliffs is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffs
  • Ashcom
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashcom is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcom
  • Bedford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ott Town
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Ott Town is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ott Town
  • Mount Dallas
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Dallas is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Dallas
  • Imlertown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Imlertown is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imlertown
  • Belden
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Belden is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belden
  • Wolfsburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
  • Charlesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Charlesville is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
  • Tatesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Tatesville is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatesville
  • Napier
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Napier is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Saint Clairsville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Saint Clairsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clairsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Everett
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cessna
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cessna is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cessna

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

Newspapers Published in Hartley ...

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 Hartley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hartley, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hartley.

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 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 Hartley:

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