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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 Rivers Bend (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 Rivers Bend. 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.

Name Variations for Rivers Bend ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

  • A typical abbreviation for Rivers Bend: Rivers Bnd.
  • While the name of this community is Rivers Bend, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Rivers Bend may originally have been River's Bend.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Rivers Bend might be written as River Bend.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rivers Bend. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rivers Bend.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

Rivers Bend is located in Berks 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 Berks County: Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery & Schuylkill.

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

  • Berks County     (The home county of Rivers Bend)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Tuckerton
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Tuckerton is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckerton
    • Laureldale
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Temple
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Ontelaunee
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Ontelaunee is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontelaunee
    • South Temple
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • South Temple is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Temple
    • Rickenbach
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Rickenbach is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rickenbach
    • Leesport
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Spring Ridge
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Spring Ridge is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Ridge
    • Dauberville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Dauberville is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dauberville
    • Reading
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • West Reading
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Wyomissing Hills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Wyomissing Hills is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyomissing Hills
  • Bucks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Steinsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Steinsburg is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steinsburg
    • Milford Square
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Milford Square is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford Square
    • Zionhill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Zionhill is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zionhill
    • Argus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Argus is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argus
    • Hilltop
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Hilltop is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
    • Shelly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Shelly is located in Bucks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelly
    • Trumbauersville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Carbon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • New Mahoning
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • New Mahoning is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Mahoning
    • Germans
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Germans is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germans
    • Ashfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Ashfield is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashfield
    • Lansford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Mertz Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mertz Town is located in Carbon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mertz Town
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Elverson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pottstown Landing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Pottstown Landing is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottstown Landing
    • Loag
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Loag is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loag
    • Knauertown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Knauertown is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knauertown
    • South Pottstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • South Pottstown is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Pottstown
    • Dampman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Dampman is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dampman
    • Isabella
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Isabella is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isabella
    • Coventryville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Coventryville is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coventryville
    • Kenilworth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kenilworth is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenilworth
    • Cambridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Cambridge is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
    • Cupola
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Cupola is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cupola
    • Bucktown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bucktown is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Blainsport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Blainsport is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsport
    • Cocalico
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Cocalico is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocalico
    • Denver
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Denver is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,831 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denver <2>
    • Reamstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Red Run
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Red Run is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Run
    • Stevens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Terre Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Churchtown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Weaverland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Weaverland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaverland
    • Beartown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Beartown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
    • Blue Ball
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ephrata
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Newmanstown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Sheridan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Sheridan is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Stricklerstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Stricklerstown is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stricklerstown
    • Richland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Myerstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Schaefferstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Johnstown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Johnstown is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
    • Greble
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Greble is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greble
    • Prescott
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Prescott is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
    • Avon Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Avon Heights is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon Heights
    • Mount Zion
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
    • Avon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Avon is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
  • Lehigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • New Smithville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • New Smithville is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Smithville
    • Hynemansville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Hynemansville is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynemansville
    • Stines Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Stines Corner is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stines Corner
    • Weisenberg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Weisenberg is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weisenberg
    • Jacksonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jacksonville is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
    • Alburtis
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Seipstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Seipstown is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seipstown
    • Wallner ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Wallner is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallner
    • Hensingersville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Hensingersville is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hensingersville
    • Ancient Oaks
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ancient Oaks is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ancient Oaks
    • Macungie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Chapman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Chapman is located in Lehigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
  • Luzerne County
    • Newtown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Newtown is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Bramcote
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Bramcote is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bramcote
    • Stowe
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • West Pottsgrove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • West Pottsgrove is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pottsgrove
    • Gilbertsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Halfway House
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Halfway House is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway House
    • Congo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Congo is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congo
    • Pottstown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • New Hanover
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Pottsgrove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Pottsgrove is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottsgrove
    • Pleasant Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Run is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
    • Sanatoga
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Anise
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Anise is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anise
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Lockport
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lockport is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport
    • North Catasauqua
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • North Catasauqua is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Catasauqua
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,825 people
  • Schuylkill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rivers Bend, with the one closest to Rivers Bend listed first.
    • Port Clinton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Auburn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jefferson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jefferson is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Deer Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Deer Lake is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
    • Aucheys
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Aucheys is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aucheys
    • Landingville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Landingville is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landingville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 149 people
    • Summit Station
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Summit Station is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Station
    • Rauschs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Rauschs is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rauschs
    • Lake Wynonah
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Wynonah is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wynonah
    • McKeansburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • McKeansburg is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKeansburg
    • Moyers
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Moyers is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
    • Orwigsburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Rivers Bend ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rivers Bend.

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 Rivers Bend - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Good Shepherd Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Laureldale Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Eplers Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eplers Church Cemetery
    • The Eplers Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Epler's Reformed Church Cemetery
    • Epler's United Church of Christ (UCC) Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #258552 <3>
  • Alsace Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Gethsemane Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Charles Evans Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Leesport Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Bern Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Salem Shalters Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Maidencreek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Johns Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Weidman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (316 more) ...

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 Rivers Bend in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rivers Bend.

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

  • Tuckerton
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Tuckerton is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckerton
  • Muhlenberg
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Muhlenberg is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muhlenberg
  • Laureldale
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Temple
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Ontelaunee
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Ontelaunee is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontelaunee
  • Rickenbach
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Rickenbach is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rickenbach
  • Bernharts
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Bernharts is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernharts
  • Frush Valley
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Frush Valley is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frush Valley
  • Berkley
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Berkley is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
  • Leinbachs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Leinbachs is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leinbachs
  • West Leesport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • West Leesport is located in Berks County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leesport
  • Leesport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Cacoosing
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Cacoosing is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cacoosing
    • Reading
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Dauberville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Dauberville is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dauberville

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

Newspapers Published in Rivers Bend ...

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 126 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rivers Bend.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rivers Bend, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rivers Bend.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Rivers Bend:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Rivers Bend, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Rivers Bend) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.