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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 Polk (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 Polk. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Polk is located in Venango 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 Venango County: Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Forest, Mercer & Warren.

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

  • Venango County     (The home county of Polk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Nicklin
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Uniontown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in Venango County
    • Utica
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Sugarcreek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sugarcreek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugarcreek
      • Sugarcreek is located in Venango County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,868 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sugarcreek
      • From Polk to Sugarcreek
    • Franklin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pearl
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Henderson Station
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Coal City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bullion
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bullion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
      • Bullion is located in Venango County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bullion
      • From Polk to Bullion
    • Cooperstown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Saint George
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saint George. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
      • Saint George is located in Venango County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Saint George
      • From Polk to Saint George
    • Cranberry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Parker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
      • Parker is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 793 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parker <3>
    • Fredericksburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Armstrong County
    • Bradys Bend
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Kaylor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Queenstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Queenstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
      • Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Queenstown
      • From Polk to Queenstown
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Murrinsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Murrinsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrinsville
      • Murrinsville is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Murrinsville
      • From Polk to Murrinsville
    • Cherry Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Valley
      • Cherry Valley is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62 people
    • Harrisville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Eau Claire
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ferris
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ferris. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferris
      • Ferris is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ferris
      • From Polk to Ferris
    • Forestville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Bovard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bovard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bovard
      • Bovard is located in Butler County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bovard
      • From Polk to Bovard
    • Branchton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Slippery Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Bruin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Hallston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • West Sunbury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Sunbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sunbury
      • West Sunbury is located in Butler County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 180 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Sunbury <3>
  • Clarion County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Lamartine
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Foxburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Petersburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Petersburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Petersburg
      • Saint Petersburg is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 367 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Petersburg <3>
    • Turkey City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Alum Rock
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Beaver City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver City
      • Beaver City is located in Clarion County
    • Monroe
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
      • Pine City is located in Clarion County
    • Knox
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Knox have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
      • Knox is located in Clarion County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,067 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Knox <3>
    • Elk City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elk City. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk City
      • Elk City is located in Clarion County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elk City
      • From Polk to Elk City
    • Iron City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
      • Iron City is located in Clarion County
    • Venus
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Deckard
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deckard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deckard
      • Deckard is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deckard
      • From Polk to Deckard
    • Cochranton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cochranton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochranton
      • Cochranton is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,063 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cochranton <3>
    • Black Ash
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Black Ash. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Ash
      • Black Ash is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Black Ash
      • From Polk to Black Ash
    • Fauncetown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Frenchtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frenchtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
      • Frenchtown is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frenchtown
      • From Polk to Frenchtown
    • Guys Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guys Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guys Mills
      • Guys Mills is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Guys Mills <3>
    • Wayland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wayland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
      • Wayland is located in Crawford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wayland
      • From Polk to Wayland
    • Gresham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Geneva
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geneva have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geneva
      • Geneva is located in Crawford County
    • Townville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Townville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Townville
      • Townville is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
    • Kerrtown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Blooming Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blooming Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blooming Valley
      • Blooming Valley is located in Crawford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 311 people
  • Forest County
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Volant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Volant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Volant
      • Volant is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Volant <3>
    • Harlansburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Wilmington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Wilmington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Wilmington
      • New Wilmington is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Wilmington <3>
    • Grant City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant City
      • Grant City is located in Lawrence County
    • McCaslin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McCaslin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCaslin
      • McCaslin is located in Lawrence County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McCaslin
      • From Polk to McCaslin
    • Rose Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mercer County
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk listed first.
    • Enterprise
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enterprise. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
      • Enterprise is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enterprise
      • From Polk to Enterprise
    • Selkirk
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Selkirk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selkirk
      • Selkirk is located in Warren County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Selkirk
      • From Polk to Selkirk
  • York County
  • Trumbull County (OH)

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

Cemeteries Near Polk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Polk.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Polk, with the one closest to Polk 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 Polk had a population of 310 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Polk had a population of 768 people.

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

  • Niles
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Niles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Niles
    • Niles is located in Venango County
  • Raymilton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymilton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymilton
    • Raymilton is located in Venango County
  • North Sandy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Sandy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Sandy
    • North Sandy is located in Mercer County
  • Utica
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Sugarcreek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sugarcreek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugarcreek
    • Sugarcreek is located in Venango County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,868 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sugarcreek
    • From Polk to Sugarcreek
  • Brandon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
    • Brandon is located in Venango County
  • Franklin
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pearl
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Foster
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
    • Foster is located in Venango County
  • Coal City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Kilgore
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kilgore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilgore
    • Kilgore is located in Mercer County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Kilgore
    • From Polk to Kilgore
  • Bullion
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bullion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
    • Bullion is located in Venango County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bullion
    • From Polk to Bullion
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Kennerdell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kennerdell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kennerdell
      • Kennerdell is located in Venango County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kennerdell <3>
    • East Sandy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sandy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sandy
      • East Sandy is located in Venango County
    • Astral
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Astral have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astral
      • Astral is located in Venango County

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

Newspapers Published in Polk ...

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 60 newspapers that have been published in the area around Polk.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Polk, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Polk.

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 helpful 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 Polk:

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

The official website for Venango County: www.co.venango.pa.us/

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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Polk, 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- Polk) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Polk. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.3682, Longitude: -79.9272    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025