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 Smith Mills (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 Smith Mills. 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 Smith Mills ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Smith Mills: Smith Mls. (or less commonly used: Smith Mlls.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Smith Mills. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Smith Mills.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Smith Mills is located in Clearfield 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 Clearfield County: Cameron, Centre, Clinton, Elk, Indiana & Jefferson.
Below are the counties that are near Smith Mills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smith Mills:
- Clearfield County (The home county of Smith Mills)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Rockton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rockton is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Luthersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- DuBois
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Treasure Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Treasure Lake is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Treasure Lake
- Laborde
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Laborde is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laborde
- Sandy
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sandy is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Winterburn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Winterburn is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterburn
- Helvetia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Stanley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Troutville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Troutville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Grampian
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Curwensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hyde
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hyde is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyde
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Flinton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Garmantown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Garmantown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garmantown
- Barnesboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
- Fallentimber
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hastings
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Thomas Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Thomas Mills is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Mills
- West Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- West Branch is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Branch
- Cameron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Mix Run
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mix Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
- Beechwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Centre County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- New Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- New Town is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- North Philipsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- North Philipsburg is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Philipsburg
- Philipsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- South Philipsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- South Philipsburg is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Philipsburg
- Casanova
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Casanova is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casanova
- Glass City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glass City is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glass City
- Sandy Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Brockport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Challenge
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Challenge is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Challenge
- Scattertown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Scattertown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scattertown
- Horton City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Horton City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton City
- Shawmut
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Shawmut is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawmut
- Kylers Corners
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Kylers Corners is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kylers Corners
- Byrnedale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Caledonia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Caledonia is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Dagus Mines
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Dagus Mines is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dagus Mines
- Benezette
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lake City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Saint Marys
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Forest County
- Clarington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Johnsonburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Johnsonburg is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Rossiter
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Urey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Urey is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urey
- Glen Campbell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hooverhurst
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hooverhurst is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooverhurst
- Marchand
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marchand is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand
- Rochester Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rochester Mills is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochester Mills
- Savan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Savan is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savan
- Trade City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Hillsdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Cherry Tree
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cherry Tree is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Tree
- Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
- Mottarns Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mottarns Mill is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottarns Mill
- Georgeville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Falls Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pancoast
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pancoast is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancoast
- Red Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Red Mill is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mill
- Sykesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Prescottville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Prescottville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescottville
- Crenshaw
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Reynoldsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sandy Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sandy Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Valley
- Wishaw
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Wishaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishaw
- Allens Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Allens Mills is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Mills
- Brockway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Panic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Panic is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panic
- Fuller
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Fuller is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smith Mills, see our County-by-County Page for Smith Mills.
Cemeteries Near Smith Mills ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smith Mills.
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 Smith Mills - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smith Mills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Dressler Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Morningside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Salem UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem UMC Cemetery
- The Salem UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- New Salem Cemetery
- Salem Methodist Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46287 <2>
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Catherines Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rumbarger Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Union Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Conway Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Bundy Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundy Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bundy Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the northeast of DuBois.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44475 <2>
- Continue List (153 more) ...
- Woods Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Bundy Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Soldier Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
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>
While we didn't find Smith Mills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smith Mills.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smith Mills, with the one closest to Smith Mills listed first.
- Rockton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rockton is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Narrows Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Narrows Creek is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows Creek
- Sabula
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Sabula is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sabula
- Luthersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- DuBois
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Stanley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Helvetia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Winterburn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Winterburn is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterburn
- Troutville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Troutville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Harveys Run
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harveys Run is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harveys Run
- Falls Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pancoast
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Pancoast is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pancoast
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Sykesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Penfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- McMinns Summit
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- McMinns Summit is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McMinns Summit
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smith Mills. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smith Mills.
Newspapers Published in Smith Mills ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smith Mills.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smith Mills, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smith Mills.
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 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 Smith Mills:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Clearfield County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cambria County
- Cameron County
- Centre County
- Elk County
- Forest County
- Indiana County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Smith Mills) 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 Smith Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |