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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 McKean (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 McKean. 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 McKean ...

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.

McKean has also been known as: Middleboro.

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.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 east 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.

McKean is located in Erie 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 Erie County: Chautauqua (NY), Ashtabula (OH), Crawford (OH) & Warren (OH).

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

  • Erie County     (The home county of McKean)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McKean, with the one closest to McKean listed first.
    • Kearsarge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kearsarge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearsarge
      • Kearsarge is located in Erie County
    • Franklin Center
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakewood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakewood
      • Lakewood is located in Erie County
    • Francis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Francis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francis
      • Francis is located in Erie County
    • Borough of Fairview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borough of Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Fairview
      • Borough of Fairview is located in Erie County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Borough of Fairview <2>
    • Avonia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avonia
      • Avonia is located in Erie County
    • Little Elk
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Elk
      • Little Elk is located in Erie County
    • Edinboro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edinboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinboro
      • Edinboro is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,405 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edinboro <2>
    • Erie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Erie is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 95,077 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erie <2>
    • LeBoeuf Garden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for LeBoeuf Garden
      • LeBoeuf Garden is located in Erie County
    • Girard
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Girard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard
      • Girard is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,897 people
    • Platea
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platea
      • Platea is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McKean, with the one closest to McKean listed first.
    • Crossingville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crossingville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crossingville
      • Crossingville is located in Crawford County
    • Cambridge Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambridge Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge Springs
      • Cambridge Springs is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,665 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cambridge Springs <2>
    • Venango
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Venango have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venango
      • Venango is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Venango <2>
    • Woodcock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodcock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcock
      • Woodcock is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
    • Brown Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brown Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Hill
      • Brown Hill is located in Crawford County
    • Springboro
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springboro
      • Springboro is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Springboro <2>
    • Coons Corners
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coons Corners
      • Coons Corners is located in Crawford County
    • Saegertown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saegertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saegertown
      • Saegertown is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 938 people
    • Norrisville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norrisville
      • Norrisville is located in Crawford County
    • Canadohta Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canadohta Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadohta Lake
      • Canadohta Lake is located in Crawford County
    • Rootville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rootville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rootville
      • Rootville is located in Crawford County
    • Conneautville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McKean, with the one closest to McKean listed first.
    • Colza
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colza have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colza
      • Colza is located in Warren County
    • Columbus
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Chautauqua County (NY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McKean, with the one closest to McKean listed first.
    • Findley Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • French Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Creek
      • French Creek is located in Chautauqua County (NY)
    • Slab City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slab City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab City
      • Slab City is located in Chautauqua County (NY)
    • Ripley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Sherman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
      • Sherman is located in Chautauqua County (NY)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 674 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sherman <2>
  • Ashtabula County (OH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McKean, with the one closest to McKean listed first.
    • Conneaut
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conneaut
      • Conneaut is located in Ashtabula County (OH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,237 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conneaut <2>
    • North Kingsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Kingsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kingsville
      • North Kingsville is located in Ashtabula County (OH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,779 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Kingsville <2>
    • Kingsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in McKean ...

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 187 newspapers that have been published in the area around McKean.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McKean, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McKean.

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 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 McKean:

Cemeteries Near McKean ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McKean.

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

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

  • Golden Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Golden Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Golden Cemetery
  • Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Hill Cemetery
  • Ruhl Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ruhl Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ruhl Cemetery
  • Sharpes Corners Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Francis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Francis Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • St. Nicholas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Nicholas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Nicholas Cemetery
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...
    • Erie Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Erie Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Erie.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Erie Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44764 <4>
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Cemetery
    • Waterford Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)

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 McKean had a population of 391 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, McKean had a population of 366 people.

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

  • Sterrettania
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterrettania have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterrettania
    • Sterrettania is located in Erie County
  • McLane
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McLane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McLane
    • McLane is located in Erie County
  • West Millcreek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Millcreek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Millcreek
    • West Millcreek is located in Erie County
  • Swanville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swanville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swanville
    • Swanville is located in Erie County
  • Kearsarge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kearsarge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearsarge
    • Kearsarge is located in Erie County
  • Francis
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Francis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francis
    • Francis is located in Erie County
  • Borough of Fairview
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borough of Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Fairview
    • Borough of Fairview is located in Erie County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Borough of Fairview <2>
  • Little Elk
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Elk
    • Little Elk is located in Erie County
  • Jackson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jackson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
    • Jackson is located in Erie County
  • Godard
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Godard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Godard
    • Godard is located in Erie County
  • Dock Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dock Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dock Junction
    • Dock Junction is located in Erie County
  • Avonia
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avonia
    • Avonia is located in Erie County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Edinboro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edinboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edinboro
      • Edinboro is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,405 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edinboro <2>
    • Langdon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Langdon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langdon
      • Langdon is located in Erie County
    • Platea
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platea
      • Platea is located in Erie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people

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

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

The official website for Erie County: www.eriecountygov.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- McKean) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McKean. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9969, Longitude: -80.1431       In this case, the coordinates for McKean have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 McKean, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024