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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 Rockwood (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 Rockwood. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Rockwood is located in Lebanon 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 Lebanon County: Berks, Dauphin, Lancaster & Schuylkill.

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

  • Lebanon County     (The home county of Rockwood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Sand Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Sand Hill is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
    • Heilmandale
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Heilmandale is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilmandale
    • Bunker Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bunker Hill is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
    • Jonestown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cornwall Junction
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Cornwall Junction is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Junction
    • West Lebanon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • West Lebanon is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
    • Westmont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Westmont is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
    • Mount Zion
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
    • Pleasant Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Lebanon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cleona
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Annville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Berks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Meckville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Meckville is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meckville
    • Mount Aetna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Wintersville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Wintersville is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintersville
    • Bethel
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rehrersburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rehrersburg is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehrersburg
    • Womelsdorf
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Schubert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Schubert is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schubert
    • New Schaefferstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • New Schaefferstown is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Schaefferstown
    • North Heidelberg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • North Heidelberg is located in Berks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Heidelberg
    • Robesonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Strausstown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bernville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Locustdale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Centralia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Aristes
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Aristes is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Lower Allen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
    • New Cumberland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lemoyne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • West Fairview
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • West Fairview is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairview
    • Wormleysburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Camp Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Enola
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Westwood Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Westwood Village is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
    • Lisburn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
    • Shiremanstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
    • Good Hope
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Good Hope is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
    • Sporting Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sporting Hill is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sporting Hill
  • Dauphin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Grantville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Shellsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Shellsville is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsville
    • Bachmanville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
    • Hershey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Deposit
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
    • Manadahill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Manadahill is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manadahill
    • Skyline View
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Skyline View is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline View
    • Hummelstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Williamstown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dayton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Dayton is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Clifton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Clifton is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
    • Ritzie Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Ritzie Village is located in Dauphin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritzie Village
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Mount Hope
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Mount Hope is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
    • Elstonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Elstonville is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elstonville
    • Mastersonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Mastersonville is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastersonville
    • Poplar Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Poplar Grove is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
    • Brickerville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Elm
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Elm is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm
    • Cocalico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cocalico is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cocalico
    • Hopeland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Hopeland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeland
    • Manheim
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Milton Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Milton Grove is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Grove
    • Naumanstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Naumanstown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naumanstown
    • Clay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Clay is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
  • Luzerne County
    • Newtown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Newtown is located in Luzerne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Leck Kill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Leck Kill is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leck Kill
    • Gowen City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
    • Alaska
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Alaska is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
    • Bear Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bear Valley is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
    • Locust Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Locust Gap is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Gap
    • Dooleyville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Dooleyville is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooleyville
    • Edgewood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
    • Marshallton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
    • Shamokin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Shamokin is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamokin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,909 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shamokin <1>
    • Mandata
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mandata is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandata
    • Mount Carmel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Malta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Malta is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Marysville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Perdix
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Perdix is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdix
    • New Buffalo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • New Buffalo is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Buffalo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
    • Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cove is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
    • Duncannon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Schuylkill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Irving
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Irving is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
    • Suedberg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Suedberg is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suedberg
    • Beuchler
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Beuchler is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beuchler
    • Marstown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Marstown is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstown
    • Pine Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Paradise
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Paradise is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Ravine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Ravine is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravine
    • Lorberry Junction
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Lorberry Junction is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorberry Junction
    • Orwin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Orwin is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orwin
    • Echo Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Echo Valley is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo Valley
    • Tower City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • East Franklin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • East Franklin is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Franklin
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rockwood, with the one closest to Rockwood listed first.
    • Goldsboro
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Goldsboro is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldsboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 938 people
    • Marsh Run
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Marsh Run is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Run
    • New Market
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • New Market is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
    • Redland Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Redland Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redland Village
    • Valley Green
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Valley Green is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Green
    • York Haven
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Wrightsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Mount Wolf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Quaker Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Quaker Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
    • Strinestown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Strinestown is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strinestown
    • East Prospect
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • East Prospect is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Prospect
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
    • Manchester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Rockwood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockwood.

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

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

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

  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Cross Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Lebanon.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45105 <2>
  • Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Wenger Meetinghouse Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hebron Moravian Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Kimmerlings Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Annville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • South Bellegrove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bellegrove Cemetery
    • The South Bellegrove Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery
  • Siegrist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • South Annville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Annville Cemetery
    • The South Annville Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Long's Cemetery
  • Bethel Moravian Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (275 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.<3>

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

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

  • Heilmandale
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Heilmandale is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilmandale
  • Westmont
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Westmont is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
  • Coheva
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Coheva is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coheva
  • West Lebanon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • West Lebanon is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lebanon
  • Cornwall Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Cornwall Junction is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwall Junction
  • Jonestown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Bunker Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bunker Hill is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
  • Cleona
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lebanon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mount Zion
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
  • Annville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Avon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Avon is located in Lebanon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Fredericksburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Ono
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Bellegrove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Bellegrove is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellegrove

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

Newspapers Published in Rockwood ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockwood.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockwood, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockwood.

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 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 Rockwood:

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 Rockwood, 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 from Point A (ie- Rockwood) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.