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 Housum (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 Housum. 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.
Housum is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Frederick (MD), Washington (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata & Perry.
Below are the counties that are near Housum. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Housum:
- Franklin County (The home county of Housum)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Cashtown
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Marion
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Marion is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Kauffman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kauffman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
- Guilford Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Guilford Springs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford Springs
- Williamson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Saint Thomas
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clay Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clay Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Hill
- Rockdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- New Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- New Franklin is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Franklin
- Chambersburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Greencastle
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cheesetown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Cheesetown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheesetown
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Trust
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Cashtown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Fairfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Orrtanna
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Jacks Mountain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Carroll Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- McKnightstown Station
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Zora
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zora is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
- Arendtsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mummasburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mummasburg is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mummasburg
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Breezewood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Graceville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Graceville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
- Hopewell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coaldale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coaldale is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Shippensburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Newburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Big Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Washington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Washington is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Huntsdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Newville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Montsera
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Bears Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bears Crossroads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bears Crossroads
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- McConnellsburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Knobsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- Burnt Cabins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Websters Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- Fort Littleton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Clear Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clear Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Laidig
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Laidig is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
- Needmore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Covalt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Sipes Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Neelyton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Maddensville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Shade Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Selea
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Pogue
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pogue is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogue
- Three Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Orbisonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rockhill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rockhill is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
- Rockhill has also been known as:
- Rockhill Furnace
- Saltillo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Saltillo is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Blairs Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Blairs Mills is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairs Mills
- Kimmel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kimmel is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimmel
- Coles ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coles is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
- Juniata County
- Waterloo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Waterloo is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Harney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Keysville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Keysville is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Sabillasville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Emmitsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Thurmont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Jimtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Myersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Frostown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Frostown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frostown
- Bolivar
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bolivar is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Creagerstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Mountaindale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountaindale is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Rocky Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Long Meadow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Maugansville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Hill Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hill Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
- Fairview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Leitersburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Leitersburg is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
- Hagerstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hagerstown is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,918 people
- Former name for Hagerstown:
- Hager's Town
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hagerstown <1>
- Huyett
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Huyett is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
- Bridgeport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Bridgeport is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Chewsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Chewsville is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
- Highfield - Cascade
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Little Georgetown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Falling Waters
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bedington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Hedgesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Scrabble
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Swan Pond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Jefferson County (WV)
- Shepherdstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Cherry Run
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Sleepy Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Holton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
- Hancock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Housum, see our County-by-County Page for Housum.
Cemeteries Near Housum ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Housum.
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 Housum - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Housum covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- German Reformed Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Reformed Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the German Reformed Cemetery is located in Greencastle.
- The German Reformed Cemetery has also been known as:
- Reformed Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2261256 <2>
- Corpus Christi Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Chambersburg Mennonite Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Guilford Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Welsh Run Brethren Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- State Line Union Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Beautiful View Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- State Line UMC Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Antietam Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antietam Church Cemetery
- The Antietam Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Prices Church Cemetery
- Trinity Fellowship Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1753915 <2>
- Mt. Zion Graveyard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (263 more) ...
- Reiffs Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Paradise Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Green Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Housum had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Housum, with the one closest to Housum listed first.
- Marion
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Marion is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Kauffman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kauffman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
- Williamson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Guilford Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Guilford Springs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford Springs
- Clay Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clay Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Hill
- Saint Thomas
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rockdale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Upton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Upton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
- Greencastle
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- New Franklin is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Franklin
- Chambersburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Lemasters
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Shady Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Shady Grove is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Altenwald
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Altenwald is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altenwald
- Edenville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Edenville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Housum. See our List of 1890's Communities around Housum.
Newspapers Published in Housum ...
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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Housum.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Housum, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Housum.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Housum:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Bedford County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Juniata County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Washington County
- Berkeley County
- Jefferson County
- Morgan County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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 Housum, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Housum) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |