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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 Ligonier (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 Ligonier. 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 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.

Ligonier is located in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana & Somerset.

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

  • Westmoreland County     (The home county of Ligonier)
  • Allegheny County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ligonier, with the one closest to Ligonier listed first.
    • Pitcairn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Wall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wall
      • Wall is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 553 people
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ligonier, with the one closest to Ligonier listed first.
    • Edmon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Olivet
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Orchard Hills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
    • Spring Church
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Apollo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apollo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo
      • Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apollo <1>
    • North Apollo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Apollo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Apollo
      • North Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Apollo <1>
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ligonier, with the one closest to Ligonier listed first.
    • Elim
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elim have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elim
      • Elim is located in Cambria County
    • Brownstown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lilly
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Lilly is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
    • Southmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southmont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
      • Southmont is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
    • Westmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westmont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
      • Westmont is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,625 people
    • Ferndale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Johnstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Cambria City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambria City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria City
      • Cambria City is located in Cambria County
    • Belmont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belmont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
      • Belmont is located in Cambria County
    • Daisytown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Dale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lorain
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lorain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorain
      • Lorain is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
    • Wilmore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
      • Wilmore is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmore <1>
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ligonier, with the one closest to Ligonier listed first.
    • Champion
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Rocks
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Laurelville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Seven Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
      • Seven Springs is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seven Springs <1>
    • White
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Indian Head
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Everson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Everson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everson
      • Everson is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
    • Connellsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Dawson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Dawson is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <1>
    • South Connellsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Connellsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Connellsville
      • South Connellsville is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,896 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Connellsville <1>
    • Dickerson Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rogerstown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rogerstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogerstown
      • Rogerstown is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rogerstown
      • From Ligonier to Rogerstown
    • Sitka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sitka. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
      • Sitka is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sitka
      • From Ligonier to Sitka
  • Indiana County
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ligonier, with the one closest to Ligonier listed first.
    • Laurel Mountain Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Mountain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Mountain Village
      • Laurel Mountain Village is located in Somerset County
    • Jennerstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jennerstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennerstown
      • Jennerstown is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jennerstown <1>
    • Roytown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jenners
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jenners have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners
      • Jenners is located in Somerset County
    • Sipesville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jerome
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Somerset County
    • Thomas Mill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Davidsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsville
      • Davidsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidsville <1>
    • Gideon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gideon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
      • Gideon is located in Somerset County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gideon
      • From Ligonier to Gideon
    • Husband
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Husband. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Husband
      • Husband is located in Somerset County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Husband
      • From Ligonier to Husband
    • Benson
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Hollsopple
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Lavansville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ligonier ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ligonier.

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

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

  • Ligonier Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Keltz Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keltz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keltz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Michael's Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Cole Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cole Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cole Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laughlintown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laughlintown Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laughlintown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Penrod Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Penrod Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Penrod Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Mtn. Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Mtn. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. James Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. James Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Snowball Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Snowball Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Snowball Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Coles Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Josephs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Josephs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (230 more) ...

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 Ligonier had a population of 782 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ligonier had a population of 1,506 people.

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

  • Bells
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bells have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
    • Bells is located in Westmoreland County
  • Laughlintown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Darlington
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Darlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington
    • Darlington is located in Westmoreland County
  • McCance
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCance
    • McCance is located in Westmoreland County
  • Hillsview
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsview
    • Hillsview is located in Westmoreland County
  • Kingston
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kingston. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
    • Kingston is located in Westmoreland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Kingston
    • From Ligonier to Kingston
  • Millwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
    • Millwood is located in Westmoreland County
  • Bradenville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradenville
    • Bradenville is located in Westmoreland County
  • Osburn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osburn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osburn
    • Osburn is located in Westmoreland County
  • Youngstown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Youngstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngstown
    • Youngstown is located in Westmoreland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 302 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Youngstown <1>
  • Stahlstown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • New Derry
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Loyalhanna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loyalhanna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyalhanna
      • Loyalhanna is located in Westmoreland County
    • Manito
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manito. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manito
      • Manito is located in Westmoreland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manito
      • From Ligonier to Manito
    • Hostetter
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hostetter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hostetter
      • Hostetter is located in Westmoreland County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ligonier ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ligonier.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ligonier. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ligonier and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ligonier.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6> of Ligonier.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Ligonier:

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

The official website for Westmoreland County: www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/

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

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 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.
<3>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.
<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 Ligonier, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Ligonier) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ligonier. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2440, Longitude: -79.2369    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025