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 Saint Marys (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 Saint Marys. 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 Saint Marys ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Saint Marys: St. Marys
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Saint Marys. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Saint Marys.
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 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.
Saint Marys is located in Elk 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 Elk County: Cameron, Clearfield, Forest, Jefferson, McKean & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Saint Marys. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Saint Marys:
- Elk County (The home county of Saint Marys)
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Dagus Mines
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dagus Mines is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dagus Mines
- Johnsonburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsonburg is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,264 people
- Kylers Corners
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kylers Corners is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kylers Corners
- Ridgway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Whistletown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Whistletown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistletown
- Byrnedale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Streights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Caledonia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Caledonia is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Benezette
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Challenge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Challenge is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Challenge
- Instanter
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Scattertown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Scattertown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scattertown
- Horton City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Horton City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton City
- Cameron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Beechwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Weber City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Weber City is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
- Emporium
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Cameron
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cameron is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
- Mix Run
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Mix Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
- Huntley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Huntley is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
- Driftwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wyside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Wyside is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyside
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Tyler
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Tyler is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
- Winterburn
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Winterburn is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterburn
- Treasure Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Treasure Lake is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treasure Lake
- DuBois
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Rockton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rockton is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Sandy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Mount Joy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Mount Joy is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Joy
- Luthersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Plymptonville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Plymptonville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymptonville
- Clearfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Laborde
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Laborde is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laborde
- Helvetia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Stanley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Forest County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Sheffield Junction
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sheffield Junction is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield Junction
- Iron City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Iron City is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
- Clarington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Marienville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Marienville is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marienville
- Redclyffe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Redclyffe is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redclyffe
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Crenshaw
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Brockway
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Schoffner Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Schoffner Corner is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoffner Corner
- Munderf
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Munderf is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munderf
- Allens Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Allens Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Mills
- Falls Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Red Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Red Mill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mill
- Pancoast
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pancoast is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancoast
- Warsaw
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Warsaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
- Hazen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hazen is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazen
- Sandy Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Valley
- Prescottville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Prescottville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescottville
- Reynoldsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- McKean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Hutchins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Hutchins is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
- Clermont
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Clermont is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Freeman
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Freeman is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Coontown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Coontown is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coontown
- Kanesholm
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Kanesholm is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanesholm
- Mount Jewett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Kane
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gardeau
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gardeau is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardeau
- Crosby
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Crosby is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
- Tallyho
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Tallyho is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallyho
- Smethport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Timbuck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Timbuck is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuck
- Westline
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Potter County
- Austin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Donaldson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Donaldson is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Henrys Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Henrys Mills is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Mills
- Barnes
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barnes is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
- Hoover
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hoover is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
- Roystone
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roystone is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roystone
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Saint Marys, see our County-by-County Page for Saint Marys.
Cemeteries Near Saint Marys ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Marys.
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 Saint Marys - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Saint Marys covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- St. Marys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Holy Rosary Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Rosary Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Rosary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The Holy Rosary Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wardvale Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1968966 <2>
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The St. John's Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. John's Cemetery
- Wardvale Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2159321 <2>
- Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery has also been known as:
- Johnsonburg United Methodist Cemetery
- Rolfe United Methodist Cemetery
- Wardville Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2159320 <2>
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Zion Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Zion Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Byrnedale.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2135193 <2>
- Oakmont Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- St. Leos Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Thayer Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gray Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (86 more) ...
- Ott Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Kooker Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Saint Marys had a population of 1,745 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Saint Marys had a population of 12,157 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Saint Marys, with the one closest to Saint Marys listed first.
- Kersey
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dagus Mines
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dagus Mines is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dagus Mines
- Daguscahonda
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Daguscahonda is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daguscahonda
- Rathbun
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rathbun is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbun
- Johnsonburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Johnsonburg is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,264 people
- Kylers Corners
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Kylers Corners is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kylers Corners
- Glen Hazel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Glen Hazel is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Hazel
- Ketner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ketner is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketner
- Rolfe
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rolfe is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rolfe
- Whistletown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Whistletown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistletown
- Ridgway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Brandy Camp
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brandy Camp is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy Camp
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Beechwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Streights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Weedville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Saint Marys. See our List of 1890's Communities around Saint Marys.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Marys ...
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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Marys.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Saint Marys. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Saint Marys and those printed in the larger area surrounding Saint Marys.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3> of Saint Marys.
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 Saint Marys:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Elk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cameron County
- Clearfield County
- Forest County
- Jefferson County
- McKean County
- Potter County
- Warren County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Saint Marys) 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 Saint Marys, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |