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 Johnston (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 Johnston. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Johnston 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 Johnston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Johnston:
- Franklin County (The home county of Johnston)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Milnor
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Milnor is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnor
- Greencastle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shady Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Shady Grove is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Wingerton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wingerton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingerton
- Waynecastle
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Waynecastle is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynecastle
- Clay Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Hill
- Kauffman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Kauffman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
- Welsh Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Zullinger
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Zullinger is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
- Williamson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Cashtown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Marion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Marion is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Claylick
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Jacks Mountain
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Carroll Valley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Fairfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Zora
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Zora is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
- Orrtanna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cashtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Trust
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- McKnightstown Station
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Greenmount
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Greenmount is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
- Seven Stars
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Seven Stars is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Arendtsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford County
- Breezewood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Shippensburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Newburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Websters Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- McConnellsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Knobsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- Covalt
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Needmore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Harrisonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Pleasant Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Warfordsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Burnt Cabins
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Fort Littleton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sipes Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Dott
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dott is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
- Laidig
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Laidig is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Maddensville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Neelyton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Shade Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Selea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Keysville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Keysville is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
- Bruceville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bruceville is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville
- Harney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Keymar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Crabster ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Crabster is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabster
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Sabillasville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Walk
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Frostown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Frostown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frostown
- Myersville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thurmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bolivar
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bolivar is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Catoctin Furnace
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Jimtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Emmitsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mountaindale
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mountaindale is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Creagerstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Middletown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow Springs is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Springs
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Maugansville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Long Meadow
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Fairview
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Huyett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Huyett is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
- Hagerstown
(8 miles [12.9 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>
- Bridgeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Hill Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hill Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
- Leitersburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Leitersburg is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
- Wilson - Conococheague
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson - Conococheague is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson - Conococheague
- Halfway
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Halfway is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Robinwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Robinwood is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinwood
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Falling Waters
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Bedington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Scrabble
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Hedgesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Swan Pond
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Martinsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Baker Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Baker Heights is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Heights
- Arden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arden is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Darkesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Darkesville is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkesville
- Jefferson County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Shepherdstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bardane
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bardane is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardane
- Harpers Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bolivar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Bolivar is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,018 people
- Jefferson Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jefferson Village is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
- Lower Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lower Town is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Town
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- Cherry Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Sleepy Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Holton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
- Hancock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Bath
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Berkeley Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Berryville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Stotlers Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads
- Woodmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Johnston, see our County-by-County Page for Johnston.
Cemeteries Near Johnston ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Johnston.
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 Johnston - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Johnston covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- State Line Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- State Line UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- German Reformed Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mt. Zion Graveyard
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Beautiful View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Reiffs Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Paradise Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Tabor Graveyard
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Graveyard
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Broadfording Graveyard
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Salem Graveyard
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (293 more) ...
- Welsh Run Brethren Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Secrest Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Rest Haven Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
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 Johnston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Johnston.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Johnston, with the one closest to Johnston listed first.
- State Line
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Greencastle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cearfoss
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cearfoss is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cearfoss
- Maugansville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wingerton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Wingerton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingerton
- Shady Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Shady Grove is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Upton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Upton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
- Fairview
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Broadfording
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Broadfording is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadfording
- Clay Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Hill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Hill
- Kauffman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Kauffman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
- Welsh Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Williamson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Zullinger
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Zullinger is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
- Huyett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Huyett is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Johnston. See our List of 1890's Communities around Johnston.
Newspapers Published in Johnston ...
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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Johnston.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Johnston, 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 Johnston.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Johnston:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Bedford County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon 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 Johnston, 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- Johnston) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |