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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 Shamokin (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 Shamokin. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 west 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.

Shamokin is located in Northumberland County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Northumberland County: Columbia, Dauphin, Lycoming, Montour, Schuylkill, Snyder & Union.

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

  • Northumberland County     (The home county of Shamokin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shamokin, with the one closest to Shamokin listed first.
    • Edgewood
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
      • Edgewood is located in Northumberland County
    • Marshallton
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marshallton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallton
      • Marshallton is located in Northumberland County
    • Bear Valley
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Kulpmont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulpmont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kulpmont
      • Kulpmont is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,735 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kulpmont <2>
    • Gowen City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
      • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
    • Bear Gap
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Elysburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elysburg
      • Elysburg is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elysburg <2>
    • Marion Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion Heights
      • Marion Heights is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 573 people
    • Natalie
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Trevorton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trevorton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trevorton
      • Trevorton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trevorton <2>
    • Dooleyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Farnsworth
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Farnsworth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnsworth
      • Farnsworth is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Farnsworth
      • From Shamokin to Farnsworth
  • Berks County
  • Columbia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shamokin, with the one closest to Shamokin listed first.
    • Locustdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locustdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locustdale
      • Locustdale is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Locustdale <2>
    • Numidia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Queen City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Columbia County
    • Aristes
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aristes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristes
      • Aristes is located in Columbia County
    • Centralia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Newlin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Slabtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slabtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slabtown
      • Slabtown is located in Columbia County
    • Grovania
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Catawissa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rupert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rupert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rupert
      • Rupert is located in Columbia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rupert
      • From Shamokin to Rupert
    • Bloomsburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Fernville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fernville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernville
      • Fernville is located in Columbia County
  • Dauphin County
  • Juniata County
  • Lebanon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shamokin, with the one closest to Shamokin listed first.
    • Murray
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Murray. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
      • Murray is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Murray
      • From Shamokin to Murray
    • Green Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Inwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
      • Inwood is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Inwood
      • From Shamokin to Inwood
    • Lickdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lickdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickdale
      • Lickdale is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lickdale
      • From Shamokin to Lickdale
    • Fort Indiantown Gap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fredericksburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Lebanon County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <2>
    • Jonestown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonestown
      • Jonestown is located in Lebanon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,031 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonestown <2>
    • Greble
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bunker Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Zion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Zion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
      • Mount Zion is located in Lebanon County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Zion
      • From Shamokin to Mount Zion
    • Heilmandale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Sand Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Hill
      • Sand Hill is located in Lebanon County
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shamokin, with the one closest to Shamokin listed first.
    • Newtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newtown
      • From Shamokin to Newtown
    • Mountain Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Berwick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Berwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Berwick
      • East Berwick is located in Luzerne County
    • Nescopeck
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nescopeck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nescopeck
      • Nescopeck is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,522 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nescopeck <2>
    • Beach Haven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Tomhicken
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tomhicken. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomhicken
      • Tomhicken is located in Luzerne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tomhicken
      • From Shamokin to Tomhicken
    • Conyngham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Conyngham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conyngham
      • Conyngham is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,858 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Conyngham <2>
    • Sybertsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Harwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • New Columbus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Columbus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
      • New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
  • Lycoming County
  • Montour County
  • Perry County
    • Liverpool
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Liverpool have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
      • Liverpool is located in Perry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 957 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liverpool <2>
  • Schuylkill County
  • Snyder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shamokin, with the one closest to Shamokin listed first.
    • Hummels Wharf
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hummels Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hummels Wharf
      • Hummels Wharf is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hummels Wharf <2>
    • Shamokin Dam
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Dundore
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Port Trevorton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Selinsgrove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selinsgrove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selinsgrove
      • Selinsgrove is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selinsgrove <2>
    • Kratzerville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kratzerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
      • Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
    • Freeburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
      • Freeburg is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • McKees Half Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hoffer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hoffer. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffer
      • Hoffer is located in Snyder County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hoffer
      • From Shamokin to Hoffer
    • Kreamer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kreamer have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kreamer
      • Kreamer is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kreamer <2>
    • Pallas
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Globe Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Union County

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

Cemeteries Near Shamokin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shamokin.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Shamokin had a population of 14,403 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Shamokin had a population of 6,909 people.

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

  • Greenback
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenback have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenback
    • Greenback is located in Northumberland County
  • Gowen City
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gowen City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowen City
    • Gowen City is located in Northumberland County
  • Cabel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabel
    • Cabel is located in Northumberland County
  • Kulps
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kulps have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kulps
    • Kulps is located in Northumberland County
  • Excelsior
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Excelsior have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
    • Excelsior is located in Northumberland County
  • Sagon
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sagon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagon
    • Sagon is located in Northumberland County
  • Paxinos
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paxinos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxinos
    • Paxinos is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paxinos <2>
  • Bear Gap
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Yordy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yordy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yordy
    • Yordy is located in Northumberland County
  • Line Mountain
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Line Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Line Mountain
    • Line Mountain is located in Northumberland County
  • Reed
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed
    • Reed is located in Northumberland County
  • Pitman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Elysburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elysburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elysburg
      • Elysburg is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elysburg <2>
    • Trevorton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trevorton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trevorton
      • Trevorton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trevorton <2>
    • Leck Kill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Shamokin ...

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 64 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shamokin.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Shamokin. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Shamokin and those printed in the larger area surrounding Shamokin.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6> of Shamokin.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Shamokin:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Shamokin. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Northumberland County: www.northumberlandco.org/

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<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 Shamokin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Shamokin) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shamokin. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.7878, Longitude: -76.5586    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025