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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 River Hill (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 River Hill. 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.

River Hill is located in Allegheny 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 Allegheny County: Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington & Westmoreland.

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

  • Allegheny County     (The home county of River Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Hill, with the one closest to River Hill listed first.
    • Sunny Side
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
    • Elizabeth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • West Elizabeth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Clairton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jefferson Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jefferson Hills is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Hills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,136 people
      • Jefferson Hills has also been known as:
      • Jefferson
    • Mendelssohn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
    • Cochrans Mill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cochrans Mill is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mill
    • Coal Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
    • Buena Vista
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Lincoln
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lincoln is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
    • Library
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Boston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Beaver County
    • South Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • South Heights is located in Beaver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 437 people
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Hill, with the one closest to River Hill listed first.
    • Belle Vernon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lynnwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Lynnwood is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
    • Arnold City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Arnold City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold City
    • Fairhope
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairhope is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhope
    • Newell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Newell is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
    • Brownstown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Brownstown is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
    • Fayette City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Fayette City is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
    • Chamouni
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Chamouni is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamouni
    • Kenneth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Kenneth is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
    • Banning
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Banning is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banning
    • Redstone
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Redstone is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
    • Whitsett
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Whitsett is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsett
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Hill, with the one closest to River Hill listed first.
    • Clarksville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rices Landing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Chartiers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Chartiers is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
    • Jefferson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jefferson is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
    • Stringtown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Stringtown is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Carmichaels
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Cumberland Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
    • Lippincott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lippincott is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippincott
    • Fairdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Fairdale is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
    • Nemacolin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Nemacolin is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
    • Ceylon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Ceylon is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
    • Khedive
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Khedive is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Hill, with the one closest to River Hill listed first.
    • Riverview
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Riverview is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
    • Black Diamond
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Black Diamond is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
    • Monongahela
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • New Eagle
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Ellsworth
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Ellsworth is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
    • North Charleroi
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • North Charleroi is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Charleroi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
    • Donora
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Donora is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Donora <1>
    • Baidland
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Baidland is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
    • Charleroi
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Sudan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sudan is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudan
    • Finleyville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Gastonville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gastonville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonville
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from River Hill, with the one closest to River Hill listed first.
    • Webster
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Webster is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Monessen
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Gibsonton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
    • North Belle Vernon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • North Belle Vernon is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Belle Vernon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,842 people
    • Sutersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Blackburn ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
    • West Newton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shaner
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shaner is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaner
    • Smithton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Herminie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Wyano
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Wyano is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyano
    • Rillton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near River Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of River Hill.

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 River Hill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Monongahela Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Sacred Heart Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Ohar Sholom Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Domanick Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Gilmore Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Taylor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Horseshoe Bend Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Round Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (437 more) ...
    • Holy Name Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • St. Hyacinth Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Lobbs Run Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)

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.<4>

While we didn't find River Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of River Hill.

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

  • Monongahela
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Riverview
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Riverview is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
  • Black Diamond
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Black Diamond is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
  • Manown
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Manown is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manown
  • Sunny Side
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
  • New Eagle
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Baidland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Baidland is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
  • Webster
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Webster is located in Westmoreland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
  • Hilldale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hilldale is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
  • Shire Oaks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Shire Oaks is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shire Oaks
  • Bunola
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunola is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunola
  • Wallace
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wallace is located in Allegheny County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Huston Run
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Huston Run is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huston Run
    • Elkhorn
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Elkhorn is located in Allegheny County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Courtney
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Courtney is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtney

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

Newspapers Published in River Hill ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around River Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of River Hill, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for River Hill.

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 professional and volunteer 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 River Hill:

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>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- River Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 River Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.