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 Rocks Works (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 Rocks Works. 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 Rocks Works ...
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.
While the name of this community is Rocks Works, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Rocks Works may originally have been Rock's Works.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Rocks Works might be written as Rock Works.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Rocks Works is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Garrett (MD), Greene, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland, Monongalia (WV) & Preston (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Rocks Works. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rocks Works:
- Fayette County (The home county of Rocks Works)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Waltersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Waltersburg is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltersburg
- New Salem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Buffington
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Buffington is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffington
- Uledi
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Uledi is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uledi
- Fairbank
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Fairbank is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbank
- Rowes Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rowes Run is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Run
- Tippecanoe
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Tippecanoe is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tippecanoe
- Bitner
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bitner is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitner
- Laurel Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Hill is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Oliver
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oliver is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
- Dunlap Creek Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dunlap Creek Village is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlap Creek Village
- Republic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Republic is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Republic
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Sunny Side
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
- Buena Vista
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Elizabeth
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- West Elizabeth
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Clairton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lincoln
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lincoln is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
- Boston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cochrans Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cochrans Mill is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mill
- Jefferson Hills
(25 miles [40.2 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
- Versailles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Versailles is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Versailles
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,452 people
- Coal Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Nemacolin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Stringtown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Fairdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Carmichaels
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cumberland Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Rices Landing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Ceylon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ceylon is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
- Greensboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Clarksville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Khedive
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Khedive is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
- Chartiers
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Chartiers is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
- Jefferson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Jefferson is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Draketown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
- Confluence
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ursina
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Addison
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Listonburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Listonburg is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
- New Lexington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- New Lexington is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- Bakersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bakersville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Casselman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Casselman is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casselman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Markleton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Blainsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Blainsburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsburg
- West Brownsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- West Brownsville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brownsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- Allenport
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- California
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Center
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Daisytown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Speers
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Speers is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
- Elco
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elco is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 305 people
- Roscoe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roscoe is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roscoe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 791 people
- Stockdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fredericktown - Millsboro
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Millsboro
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Gibsonton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
- North Belle Vernon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- 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
- Smithton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Monessen
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Scottdale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hawkeye
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
- West Overton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- West Overton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Overton
- Webster
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Webster is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Alverton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Alverton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
- Iron Bridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Iron Bridge is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Bridge
- West Newton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Wyano
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Wyano is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyano
- Garrett County (MD)
- Friendsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Monongalia County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Canyon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Canyon is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
- Cheat Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
- Maidsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Maidsville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maidsville
- Baker Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
- Bowlby
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bowlby is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlby
- Osage
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Osage is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Star City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Star City is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
- Brookhaven
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
- Morgantown
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Granville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Granville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,156 people
- Westover
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cassville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cassville is located in Monongalia County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassville
- Preston County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Clifton Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton Mills is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
- Bruceton Mills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brandonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brandonville is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Little Sandy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Little Sandy is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
- Rockville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rockville is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Hazelton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Morgans Glade
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Masontown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lenox
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lenox is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Reedsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Orr
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Orr is located in Preston County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rocks Works, see our County-by-County Page for Rocks Works.
Cemeteries Near Rocks Works ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocks Works.
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 Rocks Works - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rocks Works covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Grace Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- County Home Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of New Salem.
- The St. Mary Assumption Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2431011 <3>
- St. Procopius RC Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tomasza Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. St. Macrina Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Moore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (383 more) ...
- Sylvan Heights Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvan Heights Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sylvan Heights Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<4> to the northeast of Uniontown.
- The Sylvan Heights Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sylvan Heights Memorial Gardens
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46449 <3>
- Lackey Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Park Place Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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.<5>
While we didn't find Rocks Works in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rocks Works.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rocks Works, with the one closest to Rocks Works listed first.
- Dearth
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dearth is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dearth
- Haddenville
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Haddenville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddenville
- Searights
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Searights is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Searights
- New Salem
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Upper Middletown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Upper Middletown is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Middletown
- Waltersburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Waltersburg is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltersburg
- Balsinger
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Balsinger is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balsinger
- Walker
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Walker is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Vances Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Vances Mill is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vances Mill
- Rothruck
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rothruck is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothruck
- Smock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Uniontown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- West Leisenring
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- West Leisenring is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leisenring
- Laurel Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Hill is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Davidson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Davidson is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidson
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rocks Works. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rocks Works.
Newspapers Published in Rocks Works ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocks Works.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocks Works, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rocks Works.
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 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 Rocks Works:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Fayette County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Greene County
- Somerset County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland County
- Garrett County
- Monongalia County
- Preston County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rocks Works) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <5> | 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 Rocks Works, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |