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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 Randolph (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 Randolph. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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 north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Randolph is located in Somerset 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 Somerset County: Allegany (MD), Garrett (MD), Bedford, Cambria, Fayette & Westmoreland.

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

  • Somerset County     (The home county of Randolph)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Jenners Crossroads
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jenners Crossroads is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners Crossroads
    • Jenners
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jenners is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners
    • Jennerstown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Hooversville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hooversville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooversville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 589 people
    • Jerome
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jerome is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
    • Kantner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Kantner is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kantner
    • Stoystown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Blough
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Blough is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blough
    • Benson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Hollsopple
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Gideon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Gideon is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
    • Sipesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sipesville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipesville
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Kegg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Kegg is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
    • New Paris
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Schellsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Pleasantville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Pleasantville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • Pavia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
    • Manns Choice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Osterburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Wolfsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
    • Saint Clairsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Saint Clairsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clairsville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Hyndman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Yount
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Yount is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yount
    • Bedford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Blair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Blue Knob
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Blue Knob is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Knob
    • Cotton Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cotton Town is located in Blair County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
    • Claysburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Ingleside
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ingleside is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
    • Elim
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Elim is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elim
    • Ferndale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Scalp Level
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Scalp Level is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalp Level
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
    • Southmont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Southmont is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
    • Belmont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Belmont is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Geistown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Geistown is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
    • Lorain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lorain is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 680 people
    • Johnstown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Lilly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Lilly is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
    • Daisytown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Daisytown is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisytown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 290 people
    • Dale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dale is located in Cambria County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,110 people
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Seven Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Champion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Indian Head
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Head is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head
    • White
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • White is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
    • Bear Rocks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bear Rocks is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Rocks
    • Laurelville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Laurelville is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelville
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Robinson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Robinson is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson
    • Armagh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Dilltown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Heshbon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Heshbon is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heshbon
    • Wehrum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wehrum is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wehrum
    • Claghorn ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Claghorn is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claghorn
    • Rexis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Rexis is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rexis
    • Blairsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Lick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Black Lick is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Lick
    • Palmertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Coral
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Josephine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Josephine is located in Indiana County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Josephine
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.
    • Laurel Mountain
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Laurel Mountain is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Mountain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Laurel Mountain has also been known as:
      • Laurel Mountain Park
    • Laughlintown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Oak Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Ligonier
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Rector
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • West Fairfield
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • West Fairfield is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairfield
    • New Florence
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Robb
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Robb is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robb
    • Darlington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Darlington is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington
    • Stahlstown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Seward
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Seward is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seward <1>
    • Bolivar
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Randolph ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Randolph.

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 Randolph - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Randolph covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Randolph, with the one closest to Randolph listed first.

  • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • St. Josephs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Jenners Crossroads Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Friedline Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Garden of Memories Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Schmucker Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Old Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Custer Community Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer Community Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Custer Community Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southeast of Hollsopple.
    • The Custer Community Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Custer Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44661 <2>
  • Friedens Luthern Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens Luthern Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Friedens Luthern Church Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Friedens.
    • The Friedens Luthern Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Friedens Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2207909 <2>
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • Lichty Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Kaufman Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Weaver Burial Grounds
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Randolph in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Randolph.

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

  • Jenners Crossroads
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jenners Crossroads is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners Crossroads
  • Glessner
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Glessner is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glessner
  • Jennerstown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Stoystown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Hooversville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Hooversville is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooversville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 589 people
  • Sipesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sipesville is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipesville
  • Gideon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Gideon is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
  • Hollsopple
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Friedens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Mostoller
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mostoller is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mostoller
  • Davidsville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Edie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Edie is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edie
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Coleman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Coleman is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Lambertsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Lambertsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambertsville
    • Forward
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Forward is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forward

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

Newspapers Published in Randolph ...

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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Randolph.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Randolph, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Randolph.

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 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 Randolph:

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 Randolph, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Randolph) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.