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 Porter (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 Porter. 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 doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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.
Porter is located in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County: Armstrong, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest & Indiana.
Below are the counties that are near Porter. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Porter:
- Jefferson County (The home county of Porter)
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Timblin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Valier
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Worthville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Langville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Langville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langville
- Pansy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Pansy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Coolspring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Oliveburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
- Punxsutawney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Ohl
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Ohl is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohl
- Albion
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Albion is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Green Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Summerville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Summerville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
- Baxter
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Baxter is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- McWilliams
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Dayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Eddyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Putneyville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Putneyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putneyville
- Millville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Millville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Barnards
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Barnards is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
- Bryan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bryan is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
- Muff
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Muff is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muff
- South Bethlehem
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- South Bethlehem is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bethlehem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 443 people
- Echo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Echo is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Oscar
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oscar is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
- Rural Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Deanville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Deanville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanville
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Kepples Corners
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepples Corners
- Chicora
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Fenelton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Karns City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Petrolia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Petrolia is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Leasureville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leasureville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasureville
- Bruin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bruin is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
- Fairview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
- Millerstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Millerstown is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerstown
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Garmantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garmantown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garmantown
- Barnesboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
- West Branch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- West Branch is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Branch
- Northern Cambria
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Northern Cambria is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northern Cambria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,456 people
- Spangler
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Spangler is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler
- Nicktown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Nicktown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicktown
- Hastings
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Hawthorn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Fairmont City
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Bethlehem
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Crates
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Crates is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crates
- Leatherwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Brinkerton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brinkerton is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkerton
- Frogtown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Frogtown is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogtown
- Piolett
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Piolett is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piolett
- Waterson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Waterson is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterson
- Lawsonham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Lawsonham is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonham
- Day
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Day is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day
- Curllsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Curllsville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curllsville
- Mechanicsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Mechanicsville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Troutville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Troutville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Burnside
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Burnside is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Stanley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Helvetia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Mahaffey
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandy
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Luthersburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- DuBois
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bower
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Bower is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bower
- New Washington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- New Washington is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Curry Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Curry Run is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Run
- Newburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Newburg is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Sylvis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
- Elk County
- Millstone
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Millstone is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millstone
- Forest County
- Clarington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Smicksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Trade City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Georgeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Mottarns Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mottarns Mill is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottarns Mill
- Elkin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Elkin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin
- Marchand
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Marchand is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand
- Beyer
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Beyer is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyer
- Plumville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Plumville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
- Ambrose
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Savan
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Savan is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savan
- Rossiter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Marion Center
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rochester Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rochester Mills is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester Mills
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
- Westmoreland County
- Hyde Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Porter, see our County-by-County Page for Porter.
Cemeteries Near Porter ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Porter.
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 Porter - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Porter covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- White Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dayton Glad Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Perry Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Smicksburg Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Round Top Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Coolspring Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolspring Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Coolspring Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Coolspring.
- Marchand Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Marchand Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Marchand.
- The Marchand Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mahoning Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1969616 <2>
- Calvary Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Calvary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Punxsutawney.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1966411 <2>
- Oakland Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (176 more) ...
- Dunkard Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Porter had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Loop
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Loop is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loop
- North Point
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Point is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
- Dora
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Dora is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dora
- Hamilton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hamilton is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton
- Ringgold
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Ringgold is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringgold
- McWilliams
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Dayton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sprankle Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sprankle Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprankle Mills
- Timblin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Eddyville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Smicksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- North Freedom
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- North Freedom is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Freedom
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Trade City
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Valier
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Worthville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Porter. See our List of 1890's Communities around Porter.
Newspapers Published in Porter ...
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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Porter.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Porter, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Porter.
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 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 Porter:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Jefferson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Butler County
- Cambria County
- Clarion County
- Clearfield County
- Elk County
- Forest County
- Indiana County
- Lawrence County
- Westmoreland 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 Porter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Porter) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |