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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 Johnsonburg (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 Johnsonburg. 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.

Name Variations for Johnsonburg ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Johnsonburg was originally named Quay

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

A Few Details for Johnsonburg ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Johnsonburg was settled in 1810.
  • It was incorporated in 1891.

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 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.

Johnsonburg is located in Elk 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 Elk County: Cameron, Clearfield, Forest, Jefferson, McKean & Warren.

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

  • Elk County     (The home county of Johnsonburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsonburg, with the one closest to Johnsonburg listed first.
    • Whistletown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilcox
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Ridgway
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgway
      • Ridgway is located in Elk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgway <2>
    • Streights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Streights. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
      • Streights is located in Elk County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Streights
      • From Johnsonburg to Streights
    • Saint Marys
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Marys have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
      • Saint Marys is located in Elk County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,157 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Marys <2>
    • Instanter
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Instanter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
      • Instanter is located in Elk County
    • Dagus Mines
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Kylers Corners
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • James City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for James City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James City
      • James City is located in Elk County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for James City <2>
    • Russell City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Russell City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
      • Russell City is located in Elk County
    • Challenge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Horton City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horton City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton City
      • Horton City is located in Elk County
    • Lake City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Cameron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsonburg, with the one closest to Johnsonburg listed first.
    • Beechwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beechwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
      • Beechwood is located in Cameron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beechwood
      • From Johnsonburg to Beechwood
    • Weber City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weber City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
      • Weber City is located in Cameron County
    • Emporium
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emporium have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emporium
      • Emporium is located in Cameron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,770 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emporium <2>
    • Cameron
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Huntley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Driftwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Clarion County
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsonburg, with the one closest to Johnsonburg listed first.
    • Tyler
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tyler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
      • Tyler is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tyler
      • From Johnsonburg to Tyler
    • Treasure Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Treasure Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treasure Lake
      • Treasure Lake is located in Clearfield County
    • Winterburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • DuBois
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Sandy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
      • Sandy is located in Clearfield County
    • Rockton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Helvetia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Luthersburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Stanley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stanley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Stanley is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stanley
      • From Johnsonburg to Stanley
  • Forest County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsonburg, with the one closest to Johnsonburg listed first.
    • Sheffield Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Iron City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
      • Iron City is located in Forest County
    • Marienville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Clarington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Redclyffe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Redclyffe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redclyffe
      • Redclyffe is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Redclyffe
      • From Johnsonburg to Redclyffe
    • Roses
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roses. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roses
      • Roses is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roses
      • From Johnsonburg to Roses
    • Balltown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Balltown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balltown
      • Balltown is located in Forest County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Balltown
      • From Johnsonburg to Balltown
    • Gilfoyle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Johnsonburg, with the one closest to Johnsonburg listed first.
    • Crenshaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crenshaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
      • Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crenshaw
      • From Johnsonburg to Crenshaw
    • Brockway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brockway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockway
      • Brockway is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,020 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brockway <2>
    • Schoffner Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Munderf
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Allens Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Warsaw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warsaw have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
      • Warsaw is located in Jefferson County
    • Falls Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falls Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Creek
      • Falls Creek is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 994 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falls Creek <2>
    • Red Mill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Hazen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pancoast
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sigel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Howe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Howe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
      • Howe is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Howe
      • From Johnsonburg to Howe
  • McKean County
  • Warren County

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

Cemeteries Near Johnsonburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Johnsonburg.

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

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

  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Holy Rosary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ott Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ott Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oakmont Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oakmont Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oakmont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thayer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thayer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thayer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Leos Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Leos Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Leos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Highland Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (71 more) ...
    • Holy Cross Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Greendale Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greendale Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Tabor Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Johnsonburg had a population of 1,280 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Johnsonburg had a population of 2,264 people.

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

  • Rolfe
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rolfe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolfe
    • Rolfe is located in Elk County
  • Whistletown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Daguscahonda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daguscahonda have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daguscahonda
    • Daguscahonda is located in Elk County
  • Glen Hazel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Hazel
    • Glen Hazel is located in Elk County
  • Ketner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ketner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketner
    • Ketner is located in Elk County
  • Ridgway
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgway
    • Ridgway is located in Elk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ridgway <2>
  • Wilcox
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Streights
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Streights. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
    • Streights is located in Elk County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Streights
    • From Johnsonburg to Streights
  • Dahoga
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dahoga have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahoga
    • Dahoga is located in Elk County
  • Saint Marys
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Marys have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
    • Saint Marys is located in Elk County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,157 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Marys <2>
  • Rasselas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rasselas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rasselas
    • Rasselas is located in Elk County
  • Kersey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kersey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kersey
    • Kersey is located in Elk County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kersey <2>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Instanter
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Instanter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
      • Instanter is located in Elk County
    • Midmont
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Midmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midmont
      • Midmont is located in Elk County
    • Dagus Mines
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Johnsonburg ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Johnsonburg.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Johnsonburg. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Johnsonburg and those printed in the larger area surrounding Johnsonburg.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<6> of Johnsonburg.

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 Johnsonburg:

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

The official website for Elk County: www.co.elk.pa.us/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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 Johnsonburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Johnsonburg) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Johnsonburg. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.4901, Longitude: -78.6747    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025