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 Tomstown (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 Tomstown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Tomstown is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Frederick (MD), Washington (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata & Perry.
Below are the counties that are near Tomstown. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Tomstown:
- Franklin County (The home county of Tomstown)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Nunnery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Nunnery is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunnery
- Quincy
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Waynesboro
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mont Alto
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Wayne Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wayne Heights is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Heights
- Zullinger
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zullinger is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
- Altenwald
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Altenwald is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altenwald
- Rouzerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Rouzerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rouzerville
- Beartown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Beartown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
- Waynecastle
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Waynecastle is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynecastle
- Guilford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Guilford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Pen Mar
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pen Mar is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Jacks Mountain
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Carroll Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fairfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Orrtanna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Zora
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Zora is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
- Cashtown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Trust
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- McKnightstown Station
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Seven Stars
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Seven Stars is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Greenmount
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Greenmount is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Shippensburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lees Cross Roads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Newburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Big Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Huntsdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Montsera
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Newville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hunters Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hunters Run is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
- Washington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Washington is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Barnitz
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Mount Holly Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bears Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bears Crossroads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bears Crossroads
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Knobsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- McConnellsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- Burnt Cabins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Fort Littleton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Clear Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clear Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Ridge
- Pleasant Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Huntingdon County
- Neelyton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Pennville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Pennville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennville
- Hanover
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Carroll County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Harney
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Keysville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Keysville is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
- Bruceville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bruceville is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville
- Crabster ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Crabster is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabster
- Keymar
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Taneytown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fairground Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Fairground Village is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairground Village
- Bark Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bark Hill is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bark Hill
- Union Bridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Linwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Linwood is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- McKinstrys Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- McKinstrys Mill is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinstrys Mill
- Tyrone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Tyrone is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyrone
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Sabillasville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Emmitsburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Thurmont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Jimtown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Pleasant Walk
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Creagerstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Rocky Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mountaindale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Mountaindale is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Myersville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Frostown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Frostown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frostown
- Ladiesburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ladiesburg is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladiesburg
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Highfield - Cascade
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Pen Mar
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pen Mar is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pen Mar has also been known as:
- Pen Mar Park
- Hill Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hill Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
- Leitersburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leitersburg is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
- Smithsburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cavetown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Cavetown is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown
- Greenvale Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Greenvale Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenvale Village
- Long Meadow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Chewsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Chewsville is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Maugansville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Falling Waters
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Scrabble
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Bedington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Swan Pond
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Hedgesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson County (WV)
- Shepherdstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Cherry Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Sleepy Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Holton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Tomstown, see our County-by-County Page for Tomstown.
Cemeteries Near Tomstown ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Tomstown.
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 Tomstown - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Tomstown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Antietam Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antietam Church Cemetery
- The Antietam Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Prices Church Cemetery
- Trinity Fellowship Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1753915 <2>
- Green Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ringgold Graveyard
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Harbaugh Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- New Guilford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Strang Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Millers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. James Graveyard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- St. Pauls Lutheran Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Welty Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Stouffers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Germantown Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (275 more) ...
- Fountaindale Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- St. Pauls Graveyard
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- United Brethren Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Tomstown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Tomstown.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Tomstown, with the one closest to Tomstown listed first.
- Nunnery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Nunnery is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunnery
- Quincy
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Waynesboro
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Roadside
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Roadside is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roadside
- Five Forks
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Five Forks is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Knepper
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Knepper is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knepper
- Zullinger
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zullinger is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
- Mont Alto
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Midvale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Midvale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Altenwald
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Altenwald is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altenwald
- Shady Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Shady Grove is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Ringgold
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ringgold is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringgold
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Pen Mar
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pen Mar is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pond Bank
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Pond Bank is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Bank
- Blue Mountain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Blue Mountain is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mountain
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Tomstown. See our List of 1890's Communities around Tomstown.
Newspapers Published in Tomstown ...
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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Tomstown.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Tomstown, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Tomstown.
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 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 Tomstown:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- York County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Washington County
- Berkeley County
- Jefferson County
- Morgan 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 Tomstown, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Tomstown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |