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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 Orviston (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 Orviston. 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.

Orviston is primarily located in Centre County. A portion of Orviston extends into Clinton 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 Centre County: Blair, Cambria, Clearfield, Clinton, Huntingdon, Mifflin & Union.

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

  • Centre County     (The home county of Orviston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orviston, with the one closest to Orviston listed first.
    • Monument
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monument have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument
      • Monument is located in Centre County
    • Romola
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romola
      • Romola is located in Centre County
    • Blanchard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
      • Blanchard is located in Centre County
    • Howard
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Howard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
      • Howard is located in Centre County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 728 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howard <2>
    • Curtin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtin
      • Curtin is located in Centre County
    • Pancake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pancake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancake
      • Pancake is located in Centre County
    • Poorman Side
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poorman Side
      • Poorman Side is located in Centre County
    • Jacksonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
      • Jacksonville is located in Centre County
    • Clarence
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
      • Clarence is located in Centre County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarence <2>
    • Central City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Centre County
    • Milesburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Snow Shoe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Shoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Shoe
      • Snow Shoe is located in Centre County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Shoe <2>
    • Wingate
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wingate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
      • Wingate is located in Centre County
  • Cameron County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orviston, with the one closest to Orviston listed first.
    • Driftwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Huntley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
      • Huntley is located in Cameron County
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orviston, with the one closest to Orviston listed first.
    • Pottersdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersdale
      • Pottersdale is located in Clearfield County
    • Kylertown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Morrisdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chester Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Hill
      • Chester Hill is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
    • Shiloh
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shiloh have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
      • Shiloh is located in Clearfield County
    • Wallaceton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallaceton
      • Wallaceton is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 300 people
    • West Decatur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Decatur
      • West Decatur is located in Clearfield County
      • West Decatur has also been known as:
      • Blue Ball
      • Decatur
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orviston, with the one closest to Orviston listed first.
    • Beech Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beech Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Creek
      • Beech Creek is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beech Creek <2>
    • Abdera
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abdera
      • Abdera is located in Clinton County
    • Farrandsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farrandsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrandsville
      • Farrandsville is located in Clinton County
    • Mill Hall
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Hall
      • Mill Hall is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,586 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mill Hall <2>
    • Cooks Run
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cooks Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Run
      • Cooks Run is located in Clinton County
    • Lamar
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Flemington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flemington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
      • Flemington is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,312 people
    • Westport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Bitumen
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitumen
      • Bitumen is located in Clinton County
    • Lock Haven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Salona
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
      • Salona is located in Clinton County
    • Farwell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farwell
      • Farwell is located in Clinton County
    • Renovo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Lycoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Orviston, with the one closest to Orviston listed first.
    • Ramsey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
      • Ramsey is located in Lycoming County
    • English Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for English Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Mills
      • English Mills is located in Lycoming County
    • Hilborn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilborn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilborn
      • Hilborn is located in Lycoming County
    • Salladasburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salladasburg
      • Salladasburg is located in Lycoming County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 223 people
    • Carsontown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsontown
      • Carsontown is located in Lycoming County
  • Mifflin County
    • Milroy
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milroy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
      • Milroy is located in Mifflin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milroy <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Orviston ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orviston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orviston, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orviston.

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 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 Orviston:

Cemeteries Near Orviston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orviston.

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

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

  • Lucas Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Schencks Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schencks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schencks Cemetery
  • Clark Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clark Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clark Cemetery
  • Hays - Fearon Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
  • Lick Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Trcziyulny Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trcziyulny Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trcziyulny Cemetery
  • Brown Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunnyside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunnyside Cemetery
  • Askey Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Union Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (86 more) ...
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Shintown Methodist Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Robbins Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Robbins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Robbins Cemetery

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>

While we didn't find Orviston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Orviston.

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

  • Romola
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romola
    • Romola is located in Centre County
  • Mount Eagle
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Eagle
    • Mount Eagle is located in Centre County
  • Eagleville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
    • Eagleville is located in Centre County
  • Blanchard
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanchard
    • Blanchard is located in Centre County
  • Butts
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butts have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butts
    • Butts is located in Centre County
  • Rhoads
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhoads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoads
    • Rhoads is located in Centre County
  • Curtin
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Curtin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtin
    • Curtin is located in Centre County
  • Clarence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
    • Clarence is located in Centre County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarence <2>
  • Fountain
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
    • Fountain is located in Centre County
  • Gum Stump
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gum Stump have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Stump
    • Gum Stump is located in Centre County
  • Beech Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beech Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Creek
    • Beech Creek is located in Clinton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 685 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beech Creek <2>
  • Snow Shoe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snow Shoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Shoe
    • Snow Shoe is located in Centre County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Shoe <2>
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Milesburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Abdera
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abdera
      • Abdera is located in Clinton County
    • Wingate
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wingate have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingate
      • Wingate is located in Centre County

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

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

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Orviston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Orviston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.1065, Longitude: -77.7522       In this case, the coordinates for Orviston 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 Orviston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024