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 Palo Alto (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 Palo Alto. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Palo Alto is located in Schuylkill 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 Schuylkill County: Berks, Carbon, Columbia, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne & Northumberland.
Below are the counties that are near Palo Alto. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Palo Alto:
- Schuylkill County (The home county of Palo Alto)
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Port Carbon
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mechanicsville
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Mount Carbon
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mount Carbon is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Pottsville
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Saint Clair
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Renningers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Renningers is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renningers
- New Philadelphia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Castle ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Castle is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
- Seltzer
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Seltzer is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seltzer
- Cressona
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Orwigsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Marlin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Marlin is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlin
- Minersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Shartlesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Schubert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Schubert is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schubert
- Strausstown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Ededburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ededburg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ededburg
- Hamburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Berne
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Berne is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berne
- Quaker City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Quaker City is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker City
- New Schaefferstown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- New Schaefferstown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Schaefferstown
- Rehrersburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rehrersburg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehrersburg
- Centerport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lenhartsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shoemakersville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bethel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carbon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Lansford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tresckow
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Tresckow is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresckow
- New Mahoning
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- New Mahoning is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Mahoning
- Beaver Meadows
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coxes Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Coxes Village is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coxes Village
- Coxes Village has also been known as:
- Cross Village
- Summit Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Germans
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Germans is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germans
- Hudsondale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hudsondale is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsondale
- Nesquehoning
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mertz Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Mertz Town is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mertz Town
- Ashfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ashfield is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashfield
- Weatherly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lehighton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Aristes
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Aristes is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
- Centralia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Locustdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Newlin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newlin is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlin
- Numidia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Numidia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Numidia
- Shumans
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Shumans is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumans
- Slabtown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Slabtown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slabtown
- Queen City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Queen City is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
- Hetlerville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hetlerville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hetlerville
- Mainville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mainville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mainville
- Catawissa
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Mifflinville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Almedia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Almedia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almedia
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Williamstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Dayton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dayton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Erdman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Erdman is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdman
- Gratz
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lykens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Cocalico
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cocalico is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocalico
- Blainsport
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blainsport is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsport
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Greble
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Greble is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greble
- Fredericksburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Myerstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Gold Mine
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gold Mine is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Mine
- Mount Zion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Murray
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Murray is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
- Newmanstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Richland
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sheridan
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sheridan is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Inwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Inwood is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
- Jonestown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lickdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lickdale is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickdale
- Avon Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Avon Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon Heights
- Lehigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Jacksonville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Jacksonville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
- Stines Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Stines Corner is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stines Corner
- Lochland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Lochland is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochland
- Hynemansville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Hynemansville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynemansville
- New Smithville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- New Smithville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Smithville
- Weisenberg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Weisenberg is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weisenberg
- Seipstown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Seipstown is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seipstown
- Custer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Custer is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Newside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Newside is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newside
- Slatedale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Slatedale is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slatedale
- Wallner ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wallner is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallner
- Weidasville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Weidasville is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weidasville
- Emerald
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Emerald is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald
- Luzerne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Newtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Newtown is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Tomhicken
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Tomhicken is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomhicken
- Harwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Harwood is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harwood
- Mountain Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mountain Grove is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- West Hazleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- West Hazleton is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hazleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,318 people
- Conyngham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hazleton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sybertsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Harleigh
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ebervale
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ebervale is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebervale
- East Berwick
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
- Nescopeck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Jeddo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jeddo is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeddo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 92 people
- Montour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Danville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mechanicsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Northampton County
- Lockport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lockport is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Alaska
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Alaska is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
- Dooleyville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dooleyville is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleyville
- Mount Carmel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Locust Gap
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Locust Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Gap
- Natalie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Natalie is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natalie
- Gowen City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
- Bear Gap
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Gap is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Gap
- Marshallton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
- Shamokin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Kulpmont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bear Valley is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
- Edgewood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Elysburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Palo Alto, see our County-by-County Page for Palo Alto.
Cemeteries Near Palo Alto ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Palo Alto.
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 Palo Alto - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Palo Alto covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Friends Burying Ground
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Patricks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Yorkville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- St. Marys Catholic Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Zions Red Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zions Red Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Zions Red Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the southeast of Orwigsburg.
- The Zions Red Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Red Church Cemetery
- Zions Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #171238 <2>
- Welsh Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Peace Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Steigerwalts Church of God Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Christ Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- St. Bertha Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Nicholas Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (230 more) ...
- Drehersville Evangelical Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drehersville Evangelical Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Drehersville Evangelical Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the northeast of Deer Lake.
- The Drehersville Evangelical Cemetery has also been known as:
- Drehersville Cemetery
- Drejersville Evangelical United Brethren Cemetery
- Salem Evangelical Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2267244 <2>
- Friedens Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Friedens Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of New Ringgold.
- The Friedens Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Friedens Cemetery
- Friedens Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Friedens Union Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #333895 <2>
- St. Mary's Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
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, Palo Alto had railroad service and no post office. In 2020, Palo Alto had a population of 975 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Palo Alto, with the one closest to Palo Alto listed first.
- Port Carbon
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mount Carbon
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mount Carbon is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Pottsville
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Saint Clair
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cumbola
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cumbola is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumbola
- New Philadelphia
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Silver Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Silver Creek is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
- New Castle ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Castle is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
- Cressona
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Schuylkill Haven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Orwigsburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Minersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Llewellyn
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Silverton
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Silverton is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverton
- Landingville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Landingville is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landingville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Palo Alto. See our List of 1890's Communities around Palo Alto.
Newspapers Published in Palo Alto ...
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 121 newspapers that have been published in the area around Palo Alto.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Palo Alto, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Palo Alto.
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 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 Palo Alto:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Schuylkill County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Carbon County
- Columbia County
- Dauphin County
- Lancaster County
- Lebanon County
- Lehigh County
- Luzerne County
- Montour County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Palo Alto) 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 Palo Alto, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |