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 Shire Oaks (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 Shire Oaks. 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 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 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.
Shire Oaks is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Westmoreland, Brooke (WV), Hancock (WV), Marshall (WV) & Ohio (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Shire Oaks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shire Oaks:
- Washington County (The home county of Shire Oaks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Ellsworth
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Ellsworth is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellsworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- New Eagle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Gastonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gastonville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonville
- Baidland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Baidland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
- Monongahela
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Riverview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Riverview is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Finleyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Black Diamond
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Black Diamond is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Diamond
- Sudan
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sudan is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudan
- North Charleroi
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- North Charleroi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Charleroi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
- Donora
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Charleroi
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Cochrans Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cochrans Mill is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mill
- Jefferson Hills
(3 miles [4.8 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
- Elizabeth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- West Elizabeth
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clairton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Library
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sunny Side
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sunny Side is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunny Side
- Coal Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Coal Valley is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Valley
- Mendelssohn
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mendelssohn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendelssohn
- Pleasant Hills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Glassport
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lincoln
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lincoln is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,013 people
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Apollo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Edmon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Edmon is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmon
- Beaver County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- South Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- South Heights is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 437 people
- Ambridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gringo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gringo is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gringo
- Crestmont Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Crestmont Village is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crestmont Village
- Aliquippa
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Economy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Economy is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Economy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,022 people
- New Sheffield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Sheffield is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Sheffield
- Butler County
- Valencia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Belle Vernon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lynnwood is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
- Arnold City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Arnold City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold City
- Fairhope
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairhope is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhope
- Newell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Newell is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 492 people
- Brownstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brownstown is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownstown
- Fayette City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fayette City is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 569 people
- Chamouni
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Chamouni is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamouni
- Banning
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Banning is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banning
- Kenneth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Kenneth is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneth
- Redstone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Redstone is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstone
- Whitsett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Whitsett is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitsett
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Clarksville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Chartiers
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Chartiers is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chartiers
- Rices Landing
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Jefferson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Jefferson is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 249 people
- Stringtown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Lippincott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lippincott is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lippincott
- Carmichaels
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- West Union
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- West Union is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Union
- Fairdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Khedive
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Khedive is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
- Nemacolin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Webster
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Webster is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Sutersville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Monessen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Gibsonton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gibsonton is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibsonton
- North Belle Vernon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Blackburn ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Blackburn is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Shaner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Shaner is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaner
- West Newton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Rillton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Herminie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Smithton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Larimer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Larimer is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larimer
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shire Oaks, see our County-by-County Page for Shire Oaks.
Cemeteries Near Shire Oaks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shire Oaks.
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 Shire Oaks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shire Oaks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Taylor Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Lobbs Run Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Monongahela Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Finleyville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jefferson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Round Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Hill Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Round Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the southeast of Elizabeth.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #180962 <2>
- St. Clares Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Horseshoe Bend Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ohar Sholom Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (438 more) ...
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- St. Domanick Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gilmore Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Gilmore Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Donora.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44920 <2>
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 in 1895, Shire Oaks had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shire Oaks, with the one closest to Shire Oaks listed first.
- Bunola
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bunola is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunola
- Huston Run
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Huston Run is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huston Run
- Wallace
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Wallace is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
- Elkhorn
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Elkhorn is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Courtney
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Courtney is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtney
- New Eagle
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Snowden
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Snowden is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowden
- Gastonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gastonville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonville
- Gill Hall
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Gill Hall is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill Hall
- Cochrans Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cochrans Mill is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cochrans Mill
- Baidland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Baidland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baidland
- Monongahela
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Riverview
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Riverview is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Manown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Manown is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manown
- Hilldale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Hilldale is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shire Oaks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shire Oaks.
Newspapers Published in Shire Oaks ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shire Oaks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shire Oaks, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shire Oaks.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Shire Oaks:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Washington County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Armstrong County
- Beaver County
- Butler County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Westmoreland 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' (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- Shire Oaks) 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 Shire Oaks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |