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 Ottawa (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 Ottawa. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Ottawa is located in Montour 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 Montour County: Columbia, Lycoming & Northumberland.
Below are the counties that are near Ottawa. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ottawa:
- Montour County (The home county of Ottawa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Exchange
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Exchange is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
- Washingtonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Washingtonville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Mooresburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mooresburg is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
- Danville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mechanicsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Clinton County
- Rauchtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rauchtown is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rauchtown
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Jerseytown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jerseytown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerseytown
- Eyers Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Eyers Grove is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyers Grove
- Millville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Iola
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Iola is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
- Mordansville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mordansville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mordansville
- Buckhorn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Buckhorn is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
- Welliversville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Welliversville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welliversville
- Grovania
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grovania is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grovania
- Greenwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Greenwood is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Coles Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Coles Mill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles Mill
- Fernville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fernville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernville
- Rupert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rupert is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rupert
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Erdman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Erdman is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdman
- Pillow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Luzerne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- New Columbus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- Register
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Register is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
- Clarks View
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Clarks View is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks View
- Fairmount Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Fairmount Springs is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount Springs
- East Berwick
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
- Harveyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Harveyville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveyville
- Huntington Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Nescopeck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Waterton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Waterton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterton
- Mossville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mossville is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossville
- Red Rock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Red Rock is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Rock
- Mountain Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mountain Grove is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- Lycoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Muncy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Montgomery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lairdsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lairdsville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lairdsville
- Muncy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Muncy is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
- Biggerstown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Biggerstown is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggerstown
- Unityville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Hill is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
- Beaver Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Beaver Lake is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Lake
- Lungerville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lungerville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lungerville
- Richarts Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Richarts Grove is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richarts Grove
- Montoursville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Faxon
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Faxon is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faxon
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Turbotville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- McEwensville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Potts Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Milton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Milton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
- Watsontown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Chulasky
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
- Riverside
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dewart
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Rushtown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Rushtown is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushtown
- Northumberland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Keefers
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Keefers is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
- Snydertown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Snydertown is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snydertown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Pitman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ashland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ferndale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ferndale is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferndale
- Lavelle - Locustdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lavelle - Locustdale is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavelle - Locustdale
- Lavelle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rough and Ready
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Rough and Ready is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rough and Ready
- Haas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Haas is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
- Zion Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Klingerstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Fountain Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fountain Springs is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain Springs
- Girardville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gordon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Snyder County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Shamokin Dam
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hummels Wharf
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Kratzerville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
- Selinsgrove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kreamer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Penns Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Globe Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Globe Mills is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe Mills
- Dundore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dundore is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundore
- Freeburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Freeburg is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Middleburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Port Trevorton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Coon Hunter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coon Hunter is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Hunter
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- Beech Glen
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Beech Glen is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Sonestown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ogdonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ogdonia is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdonia
- Long Brook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Long Brook is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Brook
- Eagles Mere
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hillsgrove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Laporte
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Forksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Lincoln Falls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lincoln Falls is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Falls
- Millview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Millview is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millview
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- New Columbia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- West Milton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Milton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milton
- Allenwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Lewisburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Linntown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Linntown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linntown
- Alvira ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Alvira is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvira
- Former name for Alvira:
- Wisetown
- Mazeppa
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Dry Valley Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- New Berlin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Red Bank
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Red Bank is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Mifflinburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hartleton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hartleton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ottawa, see our County-by-County Page for Ottawa.
Cemeteries Near Ottawa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ottawa.
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 Ottawa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ottawa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- St. James Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Turbotville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Billmeyer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Old Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Stitzel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Chillisquaque Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brights Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Milton Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Harmony Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Grandview Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Center Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (152 more) ...
- Old St. Josephs Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Klopp Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klopp Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Klopp Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northwest of New Columbia.
- The Klopp Cemetery has also been known as:
- Clapp Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1976715 <2>
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, Ottawa had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ottawa, with the one closest to Ottawa listed first.
- California
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- California is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for California
- Dieffenbach
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Dieffenbach is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dieffenbach
- Schuyler
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Schuyler is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schuyler
- Washingtonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Washingtonville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Strawberry Ridge
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Strawberry Ridge is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry Ridge
- Comly
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Comly is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comly
- Exchange
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Exchange is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
- Limestoneville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Limestoneville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestoneville
- Turbotville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- White Hall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- White Hall is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Warrior Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Warrior Run is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrior Run
- Mooresburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mooresburg is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Jerseytown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jerseytown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerseytown
- McEwensville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Potts Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ottawa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ottawa.
Newspapers Published in Ottawa ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottawa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ottawa, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ottawa.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Ottawa:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Montour County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clinton County
- Columbia County
- Dauphin County
- Luzerne County
- Lycoming County
- Northumberland County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- Sullivan County
- Union 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ottawa) 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 Ottawa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |