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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Petersburg is located in York 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 York County: Baltimore (MD), Carroll (MD), Harford (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin & Lancaster.
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:
- York County (The home county of Petersburg)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Springvale
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Springvale is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
- Windsor
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Red Lion
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bittersville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bittersville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bittersville
- Holtz
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Holtz is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holtz
- Felton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Dallastown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Yoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Yoe is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,011 people
- New Bridgeville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- New Bridgeville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridgeville
- Craley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Craley is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley
- Winterstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Winterstown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 622 people
- Cross Roads
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cross Roads is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Roads
- Population from the 2020 Census: 506 people
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Abbottstown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- East Berlin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- McSherrystown
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Midway
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Midway is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Edgegrove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Hampton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hampton is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Lake Meade
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lake Meade is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Meade
- New Oxford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Brush Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Brush Run is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Run
- Newchester
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Newchester is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newchester
- Littlestown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Whitehall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Whitehall is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Glen Roy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Glen Roy is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Roy
- Mount Vernon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Vernon is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Hopewell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hopewell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Tweedale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tweedale is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tweedale
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Lisburn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Allenview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Allenview is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenview
- Lower Allen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
- New Cumberland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Camp Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lemoyne
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shiremanstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
- Wormleysburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Royalton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Royalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Middletown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bachmanville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Clifton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Highspire
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hershey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hummelstown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Steelton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Union Deposit
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Lawnton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
- Paxtang
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Paxtang is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtang
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,546 people
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Creswell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Creswell is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Highville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Highville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highville
- Washington Borough
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Washington Borough is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Borough
- Marietta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Central Manor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Central Manor is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Manor
- Columbia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Letort
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Letort is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letort
- Windom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Windom is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Colemanville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Colemanville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colemanville
- Billmeyer ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
- Maytown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ironville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ironville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironville
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Lawn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Colebrook
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Mount Gretna Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
- Mount Gretna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Timber Hills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
- Campbelltown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Burd Coleman Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
- Fontana
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fontana is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
- Miners Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Miners Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miners Village
- Cornwall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Quentin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Palmyra
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Baltimore County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Gorsuch Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Maryland Line
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Freeland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Oakland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Shane
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Trump
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Trump is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trump
- Stablersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Walker
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Eklo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Parkton
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- White Hall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Shamburg ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shamburg is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamburg
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Young Mans Fancy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Lineboro
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Roller
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Roller is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Rockbrook Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Manchester
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hampstead
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Reeds Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Carrollton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carrollton is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Cecil County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bald Friar is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Oakwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Rock Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Conowingo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rowlandsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rowlandsville is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlandsville
- Liberty Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Grove is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Grove
- Mason Dixon Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Dixon Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Dixon Village
- Colora
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rising Sun
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Harford County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Cambria
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cambria is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria
- Federal Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Shawsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Pylesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Whiteford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Street
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Jarrettsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Coopstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Coopstown is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopstown
- Sharon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sharon is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Putnam Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Putnam Village is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Village
- Chestnut Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Chestnut Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Dublin
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Dublin is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Montgomery County (MD)
- High Point Estates
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- High Point Estates is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point Estates
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.
- Red Lion Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Freysville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freysville Cemetery
- The Freysville Cemetery has also been known as:
- Emmanuel UCC Cemetery
- Freysville Evangelical Cemetery
- Freysville Reform and Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #208585 <2>
- Zion UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shaffer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Trinity Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Heiland View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Williams Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Winterstown Evangelical Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Old Roundhill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Craley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Craley Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Craley.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #283170 <2>
- Olewiler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Susquehanna Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (326 more) ...
- Ness Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Roundhill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Springville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<3>
While we didn't find Petersburg in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Petersburg.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Springvale
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Springvale is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
- Windsor
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Red Lion
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Arbor
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Arbor is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbor
- Keys
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Keys is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keys
- Bittersville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bittersville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bittersville
- Felton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Holtz
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Holtz is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holtz
- Rockey
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Rockey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockey
- Yoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Yoe is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,011 people
- Dallastown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Winterstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Winterstown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 622 people
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Brogueville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Brogueville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brogueville
- New Bridgeville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- New Bridgeville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridgeville
- Craley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Craley is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley
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 73 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 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. 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 like to start with 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 York County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Chester County
- Cumberland County
- Dauphin County
- Lancaster County
- Lebanon County
- Baltimore County
- Carroll County
- Cecil County
- Harford County
- Montgomery 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> | 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. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Petersburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |