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 Swatara (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 Swatara. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Swatara is located in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County: Cumberland, Lancaster, Lebanon, Northumberland, Perry, Schuylkill & York.
Below are the counties that are near Swatara. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Swatara:
- Dauphin County (The home county of Swatara)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Hershey
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Union Deposit
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Hummelstown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bachmanville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Manadahill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Manadahill is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manadahill
- Skyline View
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Skyline View is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skyline View
- Rutherford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Springford Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Springford Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springford Village
- Grantville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Middletown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Marene Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Marene Village is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marene Village
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- East Berlin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Meade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Meade is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Meade
- Latimore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Latimore is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latimore
- York Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Allegheny County
- Bloomfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bloomfield is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Meckville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Meckville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meckville
- Mount Aetna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wintersville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wintersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wintersville
- Womelsdorf
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rehrersburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rehrersburg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehrersburg
- Schubert
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Schubert is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schubert
- Robesonia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- New Schaefferstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- New Schaefferstown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Schaefferstown
- North Heidelberg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- North Heidelberg is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Heidelberg
- Strausstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- New Cumberland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Lemoyne
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lower Allen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Lower Allen is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Allen
- Wormleysburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Camp Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- West Fairview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- West Fairview is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairview
- Enola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Westwood Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Westwood Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood Village
- Lisburn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Shiremanstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Shiremanstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiremanstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,641 people
- Good Hope
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Good Hope is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
- Sporting Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Sporting Hill is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sporting Hill
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Aberdeen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Aberdeen is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
- Elizabethtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Falmouth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Falmouth is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Mastersonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mastersonville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastersonville
- Milton Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Milton Grove is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton Grove
- Rheems
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rheems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rheems
- Elstonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Elstonville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elstonville
- Mount Hope
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mount Hope is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
- Florin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Florin is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florin
- Billmeyer ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
- Maytown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Joy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Campbelltown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Palmyra
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Syner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Syner is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syner
- Lawn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Colebrook
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Fontana
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fontana is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
- Annville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Gretna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Gretna Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
- Timber Hills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
- Cleona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Indiantown Gap
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Indiantown Gap is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Indiantown Gap
- Luzerne County
- Newtown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Newtown is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Malta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Malta is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
- Mandata
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mandata is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandata
- Leck Kill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Leck Kill is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leck Kill
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Marysville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Perdix
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Perdix is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perdix
- Cove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Cove is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
- Duncannon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- New Buffalo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- New Buffalo is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Buffalo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
- Rose Glen
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Rose Glen is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Glen
- Bailey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bailey is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Liverpool
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mecks Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Mecks Corner is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecks Corner
- Newport
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Reward
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Reward is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reward
- Blain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Suedberg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Suedberg is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suedberg
- Irving
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Irving is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irving
- Orwin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Orwin is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orwin
- Tower City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Beuchler
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Beuchler is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beuchler
- Marstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Marstown is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marstown
- Pine Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ravine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ravine is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravine
- Joliett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Joliett is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joliett
- Keffers
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Keffers is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keffers
- Lorberry Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lorberry Junction is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorberry Junction
- Paradise
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Paradise is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Snyder County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- McKees Half Falls
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- McKees Half Falls is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKees Half Falls
- Chapman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chapman is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapman
- Hoffer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hoffer is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffer
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Goldsboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Goldsboro is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldsboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 938 people
- Marsh Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Marsh Run is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marsh Run
- Redland Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Redland Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redland Village
- Valley Green
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Green is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Green
- New Market
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- New Market is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
- York Haven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Quaker Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Quaker Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Village
- Strinestown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Strinestown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strinestown
- Rudytown ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rudytown is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudytown
- Mount Wolf
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Erney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Erney is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erney
- Lewisberry
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Swatara, see our County-by-County Page for Swatara.
Cemeteries Near Swatara ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swatara.
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 Swatara - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Swatara covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Hershey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Moyer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Resurrection Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Middletown Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shearer Farm Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. John's UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John's UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John's UMC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Grantville.
- The St. John's UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Grantville Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1980027 <2>
- Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shirks UMC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shirks UMC Cemetery
- The Shirks UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Sherks UMC Cemetery
- Koons Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Willow Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Shoops Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Woodlawn Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (262 more) ...
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Midland Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Smoketown Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Swatara in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Swatara.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Swatara, with the one closest to Swatara listed first.
- Union Deposit
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Hummelstown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Waltonville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Waltonville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltonville
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Deodate
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Deodate is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deodate
- Bachmanville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Campbelltown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Palmyra
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Manadahill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Manadahill is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manadahill
- Rutherford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Middletown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Syner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Syner is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Syner
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Grantville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Highspire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Aberdeen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Aberdeen is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Swatara. See our List of 1890's Communities around Swatara.
Newspapers Published in Swatara ...
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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swatara.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swatara, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swatara.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Swatara:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Dauphin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Allegheny County
- Berks County
- Cumberland County
- Lancaster County
- Lebanon County
- Luzerne County
- Northumberland County
- Perry County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- York 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> | 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 Swatara, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Swatara) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |