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 Petersburg (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 Petersburg. 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 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.
Petersburg is located in Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon County: Bedford, Blair, Centre, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata & Mifflin.
Below are the counties that are near Petersburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Petersburg:
- Huntingdon County (The home county of Petersburg)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Alexandria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Water Street
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Water Street is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Street
- Donation
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Donation is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donation
- Huntingdon
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Seven Stars
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Seven Stars is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Neffs Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Neffs Mills is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neffs Mills
- Huntingdon Furnace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Huntingdon Furnace is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntingdon Furnace
- McConnellstown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- McConnellstown is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConnellstown
- Dungarvin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dungarvin is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dungarvin
- Birmingham
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Birmingham is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birmingham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 87 people
- Pennington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pennington is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennington
- Hesston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Ennisville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ennisville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennisville
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Riddlesburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Riddlesburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riddlesburg
- Maria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Maria is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maria
- Blair County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Covedale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Covedale is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covedale
- Tyrone Forge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tyrone Forge is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone Forge
- Franklin Forge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin Forge is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Forge
- Point View
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Point View is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point View
- Springfield Junction
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Culp
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Culp is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culp
- Grazierville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Grazierville is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grazierville
- Tyrone
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Flowing Spring
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Flowing Spring is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowing Spring
- Shellytown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Shellytown is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellytown
- Tipton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bellwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Lloydville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Lloydville is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydville
- Buckhorn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Buckhorn is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
- Dean
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dean is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dean
- Dysart
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Dysart is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysart
- Fallentimber
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Amsbry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Amsbry is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsbry
- Ashville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Flinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Gallitzin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Tunnelhill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Tunnelhill is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnelhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 327 people
- Spindley City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Spindley City is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spindley City
- Summit
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Summit is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Chest Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Chest Springs is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chest Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
- Centre County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Marengo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Marengo is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marengo
- Musser
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Musser is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musser
- Ramblewood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ramblewood is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramblewood
- Fairbrook
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fairbrook is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Pine Grove Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Port Matilda
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Stormstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Stormstown is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stormstown
- Bloomsdorf
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomsdorf is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomsdorf
- Scotia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Scotia is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotia
- Park Forest Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Park Forest Village is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Forest Village
- Krumrine
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Krumrine is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Krumrine
- State College
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Boalsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Ginter
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ginter is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ginter
- Osceola Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Brisbin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Brisbin is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brisbin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 385 people
- Chester Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Chester Hill is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
- Houtzdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Parsonsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Parsonsville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsonsville
- Ramey
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ramey is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 425 people
- Ashland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ashland is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Utahville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Utahville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utahville
- Hegarty Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hegarty Crossroads is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hegarty Crossroads
- Morrisdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- West Decatur
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- West Decatur is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Decatur
- West Decatur has also been known as:
- Blue Ball
- Decatur
- Belsena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Belsena is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belsena
- Belsena has also been known as:
- Belsena Mills
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Concord
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Doylestown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Doylestown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doylestown
- Fulton County
- Waterfall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Juniata County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Peru Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Peru Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Mills
- Reeds Gap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Reeds Gap is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Gap
- McCullochs Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- McCullochs Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullochs Mills
- Perulack
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Perulack is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perulack
- Waterloo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Waterloo is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- East Rutherford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Rutherford is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rutherford
- Doyles Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Doyles Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyles Mills
- Mifflin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Allensville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Menno
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Menno is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menno
- Atkinson Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Atkinson Mills is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson Mills
- McVeytown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Kistler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kistler is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Newton Hamilton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Newton Hamilton is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Hamilton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
- Belleville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mattawana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mattawana is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawana
- Kishacoquillas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Kishacoquillas is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kishacoquillas
- Anderson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Anderson is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Juniata Terrace
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Juniata Terrace is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata Terrace
- Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
- Lewistown Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lewistown Junction is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown Junction
- Lumber City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lumber City is located in Mifflin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City
- Perry County
- New Germantown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Petersburg, see our County-by-County Page for Petersburg.
Cemeteries Near Petersburg ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Petersburg.
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 Petersburg - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Petersburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Neff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Petersburg Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Reed Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Weyer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cryder Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Alexandria Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Alexandria Presbyterian Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- McGuire Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Old Hartslog Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Loop Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (332 more) ...
- Waterstreet Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Shaffersville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Huyett Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Petersburg had a population of 555 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Petersburg had a population of 460 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Alexandria
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Barree
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Barree is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barree
- Cottage
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cottage is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottage
- Water Street
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Water Street is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Street
- Huntingdon
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Franklinville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Franklinville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklinville
- Donation
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Donation is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donation
- Spruce Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Mooresville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mooresville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresville
- Neffs Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Neffs Mills is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neffs Mills
- Union Furnace
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Union Furnace is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Furnace
- Manor Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Manor Hill is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor Hill
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Carlim
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Carlim is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlim
- Covedale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Covedale is located in Blair County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covedale
- McConnellstown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- McConnellstown is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConnellstown
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Petersburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Petersburg.
Newspapers Published in Petersburg ...
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 86 newspapers that have been published in the area around Petersburg.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Petersburg, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Petersburg.
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 either 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 Petersburg:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Huntingdon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford County
- Blair County
- Cambria County
- Centre County
- Clearfield County
- Franklin County
- Fulton County
- Juniata County
- Mifflin County
- Perry 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> | 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 Petersburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Petersburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |