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 Mechanicsville (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 Mechanicsville. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Mechanicsville is located in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County: Cecil (MD), Harford (MD), Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lebanon & York.
Below are the counties that are near Mechanicsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mechanicsville:
- Lancaster County (The home county of Mechanicsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Lancaster Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lancaster Junction is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Junction
- East Petersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Fairland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fairland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Sporting Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sporting Hill is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sporting Hill
- Landisville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Manheim
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fruitville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fruitville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitville
- Kenwick Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kenwick Village is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwick Village
- Kissell Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kissell Hill is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kissell Hill
- Lititz
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Naumanstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Naumanstown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naumanstown
- Rohrerstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Silver Spring
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Spring is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Spring
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Adamstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Adamstown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,905 people
- Adamstown has also been known as:
- Adamschteddel
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adamstown <1>
- Womelsdorf
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Robesonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Aetna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Phoebe Berks Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wernersville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Alleghenyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Alleghenyville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghenyville
- Wintersville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wintersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintersville
- Tallowyck
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tallowyck is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallowyck
- Brownsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Brownsville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Mohnton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- North Heidelberg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- North Heidelberg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Heidelberg
- Sinking Spring
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Cambridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cambridge is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Compass
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Compass is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compass
- Honey Brook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Atglen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Suplee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Suplee is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suplee
- Lenover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Lenover is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenover
- Dampman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Dampman is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dampman
- Parkesburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Birdell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Birdell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdell
- Rockville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rockville is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Sadsburyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cupola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cupola is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cupola
- Elverson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- New Cumberland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lemoyne
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lisburn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Lower Allen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
- Camp Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Wormleysburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- West Fairview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- West Fairview is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairview
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Bachmanville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Hershey
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Union Deposit
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Middletown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Royalton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Royalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Hummelstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grantville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Highspire
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Manadahill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Manadahill is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manadahill
- Rutherford
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Shellsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Shellsville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsville
- Skyline View
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Skyline View is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline View
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Burd Coleman Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
- Miners Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Miners Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miners Village
- Colebrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Mount Gretna Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
- Mount Gretna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
- Cornwall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Johnstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Johnstown is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Quentin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lawn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Schaefferstown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Fontana
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
- Avon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Avon is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Irving
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Irving is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
- Suedberg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Suedberg is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suedberg
- Beuchler
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Beuchler is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beuchler
- Marstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Marstown is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstown
- Pine Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Moyers
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Moyers is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- East Prospect
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- East Prospect is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Prospect
- Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
- Wrightsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Craley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Craley is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley
- Hallam
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hallam is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,634 people
- Yorkana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Yorkana is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- New Bridgeville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- New Bridgeville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridgeville
- Bittersville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bittersville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bittersville
- Goram
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Goram is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goram
- Holtz
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Holtz is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holtz
- Stonybrook
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stonybrook is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonybrook
- Windsor
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Wolf
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Starview
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Starview is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starview
- Baltimore County (MD)
- Gorsuch Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Cecil County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bald Friar is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Oakwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Rock Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Harford County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Cambria
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Cambria is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria
- Whiteford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Pylesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mechanicsville, see our County-by-County Page for Mechanicsville.
Cemeteries Near Mechanicsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mechanicsville.
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 Mechanicsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mechanicsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Kauffman's Mennonite Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Bassler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bassler Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bassler Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the southwest of Lititz.
- The Bassler Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bassler Graveyard
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2369144 <2>
- Kauffman Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Earhart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Silver Spring Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Shumaker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Moravian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Concordia Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mountville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (301 more) ...
- Ironville UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironville UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ironville UMC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Ironville.
- The Ironville UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ironville Methodist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2195100 <2>
- Shreiner - Concord Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. James Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Mechanicsville had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- East Petersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Lancaster Junction
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lancaster Junction is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Junction
- Salunga
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Salunga is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salunga
- Landisville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bamford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Bamford is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Fairland
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fairland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairland
- Sporting Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sporting Hill is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sporting Hill
- Manheim
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shreiners
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shreiners is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shreiners
- Limerock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Limerock is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerock
- Silver Spring
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Silver Spring is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Spring
- Rohrerstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Neffsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kissell Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kissell Hill is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kissell Hill
- Lititz
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mechanicsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mechanicsville.
Newspapers Published in Mechanicsville ...
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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mechanicsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mechanicsville, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mechanicsville.
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 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 Mechanicsville:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Lancaster County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Chester County
- Cumberland County
- Dauphin County
- Lebanon County
- Schuylkill County
- York County
- Baltimore County
- Cecil County
- Harford 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mechanicsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Mechanicsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |