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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 Orrstown (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 Orrstown. 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.

Orrstown is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Frederick (MD), Washington (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata & Perry.

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

  • Franklin County     (The home county of Orrstown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Pinola
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pinola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinola
      • Pinola is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pinola
      • From Orrstown to Pinola
    • Pleasant Hall
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Mowersville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Roxbury
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Cheesetown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Newbridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newbridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newbridge
      • Newbridge is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newbridge
      • From Orrstown to Newbridge
    • Chambersburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • West Fayetteville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Fayetteville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fayetteville
      • West Fayetteville is located in Franklin County
    • Dry Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Fayetteville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayetteville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayetteville
      • Fayetteville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fayetteville <2>
    • Doylestown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doylestown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doylestown
      • Doylestown is located in Franklin County
    • Brownsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brownsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
      • Brownsville is located in Franklin County
  • Adams County
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Shippensburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shippensburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shippensburg
      • Shippensburg is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,682 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shippensburg <2>
    • Newburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
      • Newburg is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newburg <2>
    • Lees Cross Roads
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Big Spring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Big Spring. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
      • Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Big Spring
      • From Orrstown to Big Spring
    • Washington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Newville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Huntsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Montsera
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montsera. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
      • Montsera is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montsera
      • From Orrstown to Montsera
    • Bears Crossroads
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Plainfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnitz
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barnitz. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
      • Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Barnitz
      • From Orrstown to Barnitz
    • Hunters Run
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Mount Holly Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Holly Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Holly Springs
      • Mount Holly Springs is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,052 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Holly Springs <2>
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Burnt Cabins
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Fort Littleton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Littleton
      • Fort Littleton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Littleton <2>
    • Knobsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Clear Ridge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • McConnellsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McConnellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConnellsburg
      • McConnellsburg is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 999 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McConnellsburg <2>
    • Harrisonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harrisonville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
      • Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
    • Waterfall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Laidig
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Laidig. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
      • Laidig is located in Fulton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Laidig
      • From Orrstown to Laidig
    • Websters Mill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Wells Tannery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Sipes Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sipes Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
      • Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sipes Mill
      • From Orrstown to Sipes Mill
    • Valley-Hi
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley-Hi have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley-Hi
      • Valley-Hi is located in Fulton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
  • Huntingdon County
  • Juniata County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Waterloo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Waterloo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
      • Waterloo is located in Juniata County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Waterloo
      • From Orrstown to Waterloo
    • Perulack
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • East Rutherford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Rutherford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rutherford
      • East Rutherford is located in Juniata County
    • Peru Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • McCullochs Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Reeds Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Doyles Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Mifflin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Kistler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kistler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
      • Kistler is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Newton Hamilton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Hamilton
      • Newton Hamilton is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
    • Atkinson Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Mattawana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Perry County
  • York County
    • Uniontown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in York County
  • Frederick County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Sabillasville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sabillasville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabillasville
      • Sabillasville is located in Frederick County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sabillasville <2>
    • Emmitsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emmitsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmitsburg
      • Emmitsburg is located in Frederick County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,270 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Emmitsburg <2>
  • Washington County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orrstown, with the one closest to Orrstown listed first.
    • Highfield - Cascade
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Hill Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
      • Hill Village is located in Washington County (MD)
    • Pen Mar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Leitersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Long Meadow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Meadow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
      • Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
    • Maugansville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Paramount - Long Meadow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
      • Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
    • Fairview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fairview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fairview
      • From Orrstown to Fairview
    • Smithsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Bridgeport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bridgeport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
      • Bridgeport is located in Washington County (MD)
    • Cavetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Chewsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chewsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
      • Chewsville is located in Washington County (MD)

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

Cemeteries Near Orrstown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orrstown.

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

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

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 Orrstown had a population of 262 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Orrstown had a population of 258 people.

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

  • Mongul
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mongul have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mongul
    • Mongul is located in Franklin County
  • Lurgan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lurgan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurgan
    • Lurgan is located in Franklin County
  • Pleasant Hall
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Mowersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Green Village
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Middle Spring
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Spring
    • Middle Spring is located in Cumberland County
  • Roxbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Shippensburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shippensburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shippensburg
    • Shippensburg is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,682 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shippensburg <2>
  • Upper Strasburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upper Strasburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Strasburg
    • Upper Strasburg is located in Franklin County
  • Scotland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
    • Scotland is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scotland <2>
  • Newburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
    • Newburg is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newburg <2>
  • Cleversburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cleversburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleversburg
    • Cleversburg is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Keefers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keefers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
      • Keefers is located in Franklin County
    • Chambersburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Woodstock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodstock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
      • Woodstock is located in Franklin County

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

Newspapers Published in Orrstown ...

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 84 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orrstown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orrstown, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orrstown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Orrstown:

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

The official website for Franklin County: www.co.franklin.pa.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Orrstown, 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- Orrstown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Orrstown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.0588, Longitude: -77.6102    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025