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 Rita (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 Rita. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Rita is located in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County: Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Monroe, Schuylkill, Sullivan & Wyoming.
Below are the counties that are near Rita. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rita:
- Luzerne County (The home county of Rita)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Glen Summit
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Glen Summit is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Summit
- Albert
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Albert is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert
- Mountain Top
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- White Haven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Penn Lake Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Penn Lake Park is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Sugar Notch
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Notch is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Notch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 959 people
- Warrior Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Warrior Run is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrior Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 550 people
- Ashley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Laurel Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Concrete City ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Concrete City is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concrete City
- Dorrance
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dorrance is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
- Bear Creek Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Carbon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- East Side
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Side is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Side
- Population from the 2020 Census: 301 people
- Leslie Run
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Leslie Run is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie Run
- Weatherly
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mud Run
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mud Run is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mud Run
- Beaver Meadows
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Coxes Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Coxes Village is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coxes Village
- Coxes Village has also been known as:
- Cross Village
- Hudsondale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Hudsondale is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudsondale
- Tresckow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Tresckow is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tresckow
- Penn Haven Junction
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Penn Haven Junction is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Haven Junction
- Unionville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Unionville is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Albrightsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jim Thorpe
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Jim Thorpe is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jim Thorpe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,650 people
- Former names for Jim Thorpe:
- East Mauch Chunk
- Mauch Chunk
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jim Thorpe <1>
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Foundryville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Foundryville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foundryville
- Berwick
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Briar Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Briar Creek is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 672 people
- Hetlerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Hetlerville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hetlerville
- Jonestown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jonestown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
- Mifflinville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Shumans
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Shumans is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumans
- Lime Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lime Ridge is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Ridge
- Zaner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Zaner is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zaner
- Stillwater
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Benton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Almedia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Almedia is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almedia
- Lackawanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Belian Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Belian Village is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belian Village
- Lawrenceville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrenceville is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
- Moosic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Old Forge
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Brook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Brook is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Brook
- Minooka
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Minooka is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minooka
- Taylor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yostville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yostville is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yostville
- Milwaukee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Milwaukee is located in Lackawanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milwaukee
- Daleville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Scranton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Moscow
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lehigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Slatedale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Slatedale is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slatedale
- Custer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Custer is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Custer
- Emerald
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Emerald is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald
- Slatington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lochland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lochland is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochland
- Friedens
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Friedens is located in Lehigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Locust Lakes Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Locust Lakes Village is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Lakes Village
- Long Pond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Pocono Pines
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mount Pocono
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Tobyhanna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pocono Summit
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Kresgeville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- McMichael
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- McMichael is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMichael
- Gilbert
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Appenzell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Appenzell is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appenzell
- Brodheadsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Reeders
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Northampton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Berlinsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Berlinsville is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlinsville
- Danielsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Arndts
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Arndts is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arndts
- Lockport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lockport is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport
- Walnutport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pike County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- La Anna
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- La Anna is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Anna
- South Sterling
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Kelayres
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Kelayres is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelayres
- McAdoo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Lofty
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lofty is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lofty
- Nuremberg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Oneida
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Oneida is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneida
- Sheppton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Coaldale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hometown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hometown is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hometown
- Delano
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Delano is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delano
- Girard Manor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Girard Manor is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girard Manor
- Grier City - Park Crest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Grier City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Grier City is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grier City
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Hollisterville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hollisterville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollisterville
- Sterling
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Mill City ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mill City is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill City
- Beaumont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Beaumont is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Vernon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Vernon is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
- Noxen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Evans Falls
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Evans Falls is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Falls
- Jenks
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Jenks is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenks
- South Eaton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- South Eaton is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Eaton
- Lake Winola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Osterhout
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Osterhout is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osterhout
- Tunkhannock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dixon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Dixon is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
- Factoryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rita, see our County-by-County Page for Rita.
Cemeteries Near Rita ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rita.
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 Rita - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rita covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Albert Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albert Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Albert Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Albert.
- The Albert Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rippletown Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1988179 <2>
- St. Patrick Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Laurel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Lawn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Maple Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Maple Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Wilkes-Barre.
- The Maple Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Ashley Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45352 <2>
- Temple B'nai B'rith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- St. Ann's Parish Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hanover Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hanover Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Wilkes-Barre.
- The Hanover Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hanover Green Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45029 <2>
- Ohav Zedek Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Holy Trinity Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Francis Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (239 more) ...
- St. Johns Russian Orthodox Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- St. Stanislaus RC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Nanticoke Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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, Rita had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rita, with the one closest to Rita listed first.
- Glen Summit
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Glen Summit is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Summit
- Solomon Gap
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Solomon Gap is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solomon Gap
- Penobscot
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Penobscot is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penobscot
- Mountain Top
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fairview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fairview is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- White Haven
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Moosehead
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Moosehead is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moosehead
- Bear Creek Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bear Creek Junction is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek Junction
- Sugar Notch
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Notch is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Notch
- Population from the 2020 Census: 959 people
- Warrior Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Warrior Run is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrior Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 550 people
- Dorrance
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dorrance is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorrance
- Upper Lehigh
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Upper Lehigh is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Lehigh
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Laurel Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Askam
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Askam is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askam
- Hanover
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hanover is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rita. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rita.
Newspapers Published in Rita ...
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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rita.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rita, 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 Rita.
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 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 Rita:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Luzerne County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carbon County
- Columbia County
- Lackawanna County
- Lehigh County
- Monroe County
- Northampton County
- Pike County
- Schuylkill County
- Wayne County
- Wyoming 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 Rita, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rita) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |