RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Bucks County >> Ottsville >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Pennsylvania

The Commemorative Quarter for Pennsylvania





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 Ottsville (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 Ottsville. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Ottsville is located in Bucks 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 Bucks County: Burlington (NJ), Hunterdon (NJ), Mercer (NJ), Warren (NJ), Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton & Philadelphia.

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

  • Bucks County     (The home county of Ottsville)
  • Berks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Red Lion
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Lion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Lion
      • Red Lion is located in Berks County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Red Lion
      • From Ottsville to Red Lion
    • Dale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Eshbach
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Huffs Church
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Lyons
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyons have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
      • Lyons is located in Berks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
    • Rittenhouse Gap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Bechtelsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bechtelsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bechtelsville
      • Bechtelsville is located in Berks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bechtelsville <2>
    • Boyertown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyertown
      • Boyertown is located in Berks County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,058 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyertown <2>
    • Landis Store
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Hancock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hancock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Hancock is located in Berks County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hancock
      • From Ottsville to Hancock
    • Indian Springs Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Springs Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Springs Village
      • Indian Springs Village is located in Berks County
    • Colebrookdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Fricks Lock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Spring City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Kenilworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kenilworth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenilworth
      • Kenilworth is located in Chester County
    • Parker Ford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Phoenixville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phoenixville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenixville
      • Phoenixville is located in Chester County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,910 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Phoenixville <2>
    • South Pottstown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Pottstown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pottstown
      • South Pottstown is located in Chester County
    • Valley Forge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Forge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Forge
      • Valley Forge is located in Chester County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley Forge <2>
  • Indiana County
    • Ernest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ernest. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernest
      • Ernest is located in Indiana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ernest
      • From Ottsville to Ernest
  • Lehigh County
  • Monroe County
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Pear Tree Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pear Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pear Tree Village
      • Pear Tree Village is located in Montgomery County
    • Telford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Souderton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Souderton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Souderton
      • Souderton is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,110 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Souderton <2>
    • Tylersport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cowpath Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowpath Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowpath Village
      • Cowpath Village is located in Montgomery County
    • Franconia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hatfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hatfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hatfield
      • Hatfield is located in Montgomery County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,323 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hatfield <2>
    • Montgomeryville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomeryville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomeryville
      • Montgomeryville is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montgomeryville <2>
    • Lansdale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Welch Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welch Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Village
      • Welch Village is located in Montgomery County
    • Harleysville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hoppenville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Leithsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wassergass
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hellertown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lower Saucon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Chain Bridge ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Glendon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glendon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glendon
      • Glendon is located in Northampton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 357 people
    • Old Orchard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Orchard
      • Old Orchard is located in Northampton County
    • Steel City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Steel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel City
      • Steel City is located in Northampton County
    • Freemansburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Middletown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Northampton County
    • Seidersville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Star Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Star Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star Village
      • Star Village is located in Northampton County
  • Philadelphia County
  • Burlington County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Beverly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Florence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hunterdon County (NJ)
  • Mercer County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Titusville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Bear Tavern
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Rose
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Rose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Rose
      • Mount Rose is located in Mercer County (NJ)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Rose
      • From Ottsville to Mount Rose
    • Ewing
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ewing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewing
      • Ewing is located in Mercer County (NJ)
    • West Trenton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Parkway Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parkway Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkway Village
      • Parkway Village is located in Mercer County (NJ)
    • Lawrenceville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Eldridge Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Trenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Warner Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warner Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warner Village
      • Warner Village is located in Mercer County (NJ)
    • Mercerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rosemont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Middlesex County (NJ)
    • Kingston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kingston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
      • Kingston is located in Middlesex County (NJ)
  • Morris County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Crestmoore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Long Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Valley
      • Long Valley is located in Morris County (NJ)
    • Hacklebarney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Somerset County (NJ)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville listed first.
    • Woodfern
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Skillman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Harlingen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Blackwells Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Bedminster
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bedminster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedminster
      • Bedminster is located in Somerset County (NJ)
  • Warren County (NJ)

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

Cemeteries Near Ottsville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ottsville.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ottsville, with the one closest to Ottsville 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 Ottsville had a population of 268 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Revere
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Revere have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Revere
    • Revere is located in Bucks County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Revere <2>
  • Bucksville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucksville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucksville
    • Bucksville is located in Bucks County
  • Bedminster
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Pipersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pipersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipersville
    • Pipersville is located in Bucks County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pipersville <2>
  • Tinicum
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tinicum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tinicum
    • Tinicum is located in Bucks County
  • Wismer
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wismer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wismer
    • Wismer is located in Bucks County
  • Plumsteadville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plumsteadville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumsteadville
    • Plumsteadville is located in Bucks County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plumsteadville <2>
  • Erwinna
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Uhlerstown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Uhlerstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uhlerstown
    • Uhlerstown is located in Bucks County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Uhlerstown
    • From Ottsville to Uhlerstown
  • Applebachsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Applebachsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applebachsville
    • Applebachsville is located in Bucks County
  • Kintnersville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Hagersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagersville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagersville
    • Hagersville is located in Bucks County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Point Pleasant
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Pleasant
      • Point Pleasant is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Point Pleasant <2>
    • Byram
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Byram have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byram
      • Byram is located in Hunterdon County (NJ)
    • Holland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Hunterdon County (NJ)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ottsville ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottsville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ottsville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ottsville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ottsville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<6> of Ottsville.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Ottsville:

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

The official website for Bucks County: www.buckscounty.org/

The official website for Commonwealth 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>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.
<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 Ottsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Ottsville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ottsville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.4732, Longitude: -75.1608    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025