RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> Commonwealth of Pennsylvania >> Cambria County >> Sidman >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Pennsylvania

The Commemorative Quarter for Pennsylvania





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 Sidman (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 Sidman. 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 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.

Sidman is located in Cambria 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 Cambria County: Bedford, Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Indiana, Somerset & Westmoreland.

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

  • Cambria County     (The home county of Sidman)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Saint Michael
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Salix
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Beaverdale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Dunlo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Summerhill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerhill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerhill
      • Summerhill is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 439 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summerhill <2>
    • Cassandra
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassandra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassandra
      • Cassandra is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
    • Ehrenfeld
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • South Fork
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Portage
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Hill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Cambria County
    • Mineral Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Geistown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geistown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
      • Geistown is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
    • Franklin
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Pavia
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pavia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pavia
      • From Sidman to Pavia
    • Pleasantville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasantville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
      • Pleasantville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
    • King
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for King. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
      • King is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to King
      • From Sidman to King
    • Osterburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • New Paris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Paris have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Paris
      • New Paris is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Paris <2>
    • Maria
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maria
      • Maria is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maria
      • From Sidman to Maria
    • Saint Clairsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Clairsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clairsville
      • Saint Clairsville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
    • Salemville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Schellsburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schellsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schellsburg
      • Schellsburg is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 317 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Schellsburg <2>
    • New Enterprise
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Waterside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Loysburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolfsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolfsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsburg
      • Wolfsburg is located in Bedford County
  • Blair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Blue Knob
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Cotton Town
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cotton Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
      • Cotton Town is located in Blair County
    • Puzzletown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Claysburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Brooks Mill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks Mill
      • Brooks Mill is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brooks Mill
      • From Sidman to Brooks Mill
    • Newry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Duncansville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duncansville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncansville
      • Duncansville is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,148 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncansville <2>
    • Roaring Spring
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Spring
      • Roaring Spring is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,399 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roaring Spring <2>
    • Canan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Canan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canan
      • Canan is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Canan
      • From Sidman to Canan
    • Hollidaysburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Frankstown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Frankstown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankstown
      • Frankstown is located in Blair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Frankstown
      • From Sidman to Frankstown
    • Martinsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Martinsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
      • Martinsburg is located in Blair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,858 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Martinsburg <2>
    • Altoona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Sylvis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sylvis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
      • Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sylvis
      • From Sidman to Sylvis
    • Westover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
    • Lyleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Huntingdon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Entriken
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Middletown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
      • Middletown is located in Huntingdon County
    • Coalmont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Dudley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dudley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dudley
      • Dudley is located in Huntingdon County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
    • Marklesburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Rexis
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Wehrum
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Armagh
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dilltown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Littletown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Littletown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littletown
      • Littletown is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Littletown
      • From Sidman to Littletown
    • Claghorn ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claghorn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claghorn
      • Claghorn is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Claghorn
      • From Sidman to Claghorn
    • Heshbon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Nolo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Suncliff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Alverda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Heilwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heilwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilwood
      • Heilwood is located in Indiana County
    • Robinson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Grisemore
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grisemore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grisemore
      • Grisemore is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grisemore
      • From Sidman to Grisemore
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman listed first.
    • Paint
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paint have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint
      • Paint is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Windber
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Ogletown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Tire Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Benson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Davidsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsville
      • Davidsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidsville <2>
    • Hollsopple
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Blough
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Forward
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forward
      • Forward is located in Somerset County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forward
      • From Sidman to Forward
    • Jerome
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Somerset County
    • Thomas Mill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Central City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Central City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
      • Central City is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Central City <2>
    • Hooversville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Westmoreland County

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

Cemeteries Near Sidman ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sidman.

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 Sidman covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sidman, with the one closest to Sidman 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.<6>

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

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

  • Salix
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Dunlo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Summerhill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summerhill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerhill
    • Summerhill is located in Cambria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 439 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Summerhill <2>
  • Ehrenfeld
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • South Fork
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cassandra
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassandra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassandra
    • Cassandra is located in Cambria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 132 people
  • Elton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
    • Elton is located in Cambria County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elton <2>
  • Portage
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mineral Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Geistown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geistown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geistown
    • Geistown is located in Cambria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,242 people
  • Puritan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Sonman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonman
    • Sonman is located in Cambria County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sonman
    • From Sidman to Sonman
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Stonycreek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stonycreek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonycreek
      • Stonycreek is located in Cambria County
    • Scalp Level
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scalp Level have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalp Level
      • Scalp Level is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
    • Bens Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bens Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bens Creek
      • Bens Creek is located in Cambria County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bens Creek
      • From Sidman to Bens Creek

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

Newspapers Published in Sidman ...

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 Sidman.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sidman, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sidman.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Sidman:

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

The official website for Cambria County: www.co.cambria.pa.us/

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Sidman) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sidman. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3303, Longitude: -78.7502    
<5>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.
<6>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 Sidman, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025