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 Thomas Crossroads (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 Thomas Crossroads. 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 Thomas Crossroads ...
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 Thomas Crossroads: Thomas Xrds.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Thomas Crossroads. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Thomas Crossroads.
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 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.
Thomas Crossroads is located in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana & Somerset.
Below are the counties that are near Thomas Crossroads. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thomas Crossroads:
- Westmoreland County (The home county of Thomas Crossroads)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Oak Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Oak Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Laughlintown
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Laurel Mountain
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Mountain is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
- Laurel Mountain has also been known as:
- Laurel Mountain Park
- Ligonier
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Rector
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Darlington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Darlington is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington
- West Fairfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- West Fairfield is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairfield
- Derry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Derry is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derry
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,495 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Derry <1>
- Kingston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kingston is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- New Derry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Stahlstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Youngstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Edmon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Edmon is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmon
- Olivet
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Olivet is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
- Orchard Hills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
- Spring Church
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Apollo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- North Apollo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bedford County
- Kegg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kegg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Elim
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Elim is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elim
- Southmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Southmont is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
- Westmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Westmont is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,625 people
- Ferndale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Brownstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cambria City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cambria City is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria City
- Johnstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lilly
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lilly is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
- Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
- Belmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Belmont is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Conemaugh
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Conemaugh is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conemaugh
- Daisytown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Daisytown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisytown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 290 people
- Dale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Dale is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,110 people
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Champion
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bear Rocks
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bear Rocks is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Rocks
- Laurelville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Laurelville is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurelville
- White
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- White is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
- Indian Head
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Head is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Head
- Everson
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Everson is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
- Connellsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- South Connellsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dawson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sitka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sitka is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitka
- Dickerson Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dickerson Run is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickerson Run
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Robinson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Robinson is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson
- Blairsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Black Lick
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Black Lick is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Lick
- Heshbon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Heshbon is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heshbon
- Josephine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Josephine is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Josephine
- Palmertown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Armagh
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bow is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bow
- Claghorn ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Claghorn is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claghorn
- Coral
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Graceton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Graceton is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceton
- Dilltown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Laurel Mountain Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jennerstown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jenners Crossroads
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jenners Crossroads is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners Crossroads
- Roytown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Roytown is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roytown
- Jenners
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jenners is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners
- Jerome
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Jerome is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Thomas Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Thomas Mill is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Mill
- Sipesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sipesville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipesville
- Davidsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bakersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bakersville is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Gideon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gideon is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gideon
- Benson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Benson is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thomas Crossroads, see our County-by-County Page for Thomas Crossroads.
Cemeteries Near Thomas Crossroads ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thomas Crossroads.
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 Thomas Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thomas Crossroads covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Laughlintown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Penrod Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Green Mtn. Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ligonier Valley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ligonier Valley Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ligonier Valley Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Ligonier.
- The Ligonier Valley Cemetery has also been known as:
- Valley Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1921576 <2>
- St. Michael's Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Michael's Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Michael's Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Rector.
- The St. Michael's Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Michael's of the Valley Episcopal Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2267682 <2>
- Cole Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Keltz Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Snowball Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coles Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- St. James Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (218 more) ...
- Friedline Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jenners Crossroads Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
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 Thomas Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Thomas Crossroads.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thomas Crossroads, with the one closest to Thomas Crossroads listed first.
- Laughlintown
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hillsview
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hillsview is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsview
- Ligonier
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bells
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bells is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells
- Darlington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Darlington is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington
- McCance
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- McCance is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCance
- Jennerstown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Glessner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Glessner is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glessner
- Millwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Millwood is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
- West Fairfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- West Fairfield is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fairfield
- Kingston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Kingston is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Stahlstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Hillside
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hillside is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
- Jenners Crossroads
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jenners Crossroads is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners Crossroads
- New Derry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thomas Crossroads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thomas Crossroads.
Newspapers Published in Thomas Crossroads ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thomas Crossroads.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thomas Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thomas Crossroads.
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 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 Thomas Crossroads:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Westmoreland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Bedford County
- Cambria County
- Fayette County
- Indiana County
- Somerset 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 Thomas Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Thomas Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |