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 Van Buren (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 Van Buren. 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.
Van Buren is located in Armstrong 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 Armstrong County: Allegheny, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, Jefferson & Westmoreland.
Below are the counties that are near Van Buren. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Van Buren:
- Armstrong County (The home county of Van Buren)
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Wattersonville
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Wattersonville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattersonville
- Queenstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
- Bradys Bend
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bradys Bend is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradys Bend
- Rimer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rimer is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
- Tidal
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tidal is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidal
- Kaylor
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Kaylor is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kaylor
- Cowansville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Frenchs Corners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Frenchs Corners is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchs Corners
- Fredericksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fredericksburg is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
- Dee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dee is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dee
- Laird Crossing
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Laird Crossing is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laird Crossing
- Deanville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Deanville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanville
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Sligo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Sligo is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sligo
- Karns
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Karns is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Karns
- Natrona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Natrona is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natrona
- Culmerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Culmerville is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culmerville
- Brackenridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Curtisville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Curtisville is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtisville
- Tarentum
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Russellton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rural Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Karns City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepples Corners
- Petrolia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Petrolia is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrolia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Bruin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bruin is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 489 people
- Chicora
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Fairview
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 186 people
- Millerstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Millerstown is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerstown
- Fenelton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Joe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Joe is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joe
- North Oakland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- North Oakland is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Oakland
- Greece City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Greece City is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greece City
- Hooker
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hooker is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Catfish
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Catfish is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Phillipston
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Phillipston is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
- East Brady
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Lawsonham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lawsonham is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonham
- Bela
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bela is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bela
- Rimersburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Toby
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Toby is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toby
- West Freedom
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- West Freedom is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Freedom
- Callensburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Callensburg is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callensburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
- Sligo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Leatherwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Curllsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Curllsville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curllsville
- Indiana County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Beyer
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Beyer is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyer
- Smicksburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Plumville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Plumville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
- Willet
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Willet is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willet
- Shelocta
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Georgeville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Trade City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Davis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Davis is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Elkin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Elkin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin
- Ambrose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Chambersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chambersville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersville
- Creekside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Creekside is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creekside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 288 people
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Langville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Langville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langville
- Ohl
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ohl is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohl
- Pansy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Pansy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Worthville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Summerville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Summerville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 501 people
- Timblin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Corsica
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Corsica is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corsica
- Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
- Baxter
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Baxter is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Coolspring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Valier
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Green Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Brookville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Enterprise
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Enterprise is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
- Swamproot
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Swamproot is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swamproot
- Courtneys Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Courtneys Mills is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtneys Mills
- North Liberty
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- North Liberty is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
- Kilgore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kilgore is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilgore
- Perrys Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Perrys Corners is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrys Corners
- Venango County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Eakin Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Eakin Corner is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eakin Corner
- Emlenton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Nickleville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Nickleville is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nickleville
- Clintonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Saint George
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Saint George is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint George
- Nectarine
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Nectarine is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nectarine
- Bullion
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bullion is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullion
- Fertigs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Fertigs is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fertigs
- Hill City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hill City is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill City
- Barkeyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coal City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coal City is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
- Cranberry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cranberry is located in Venango County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Bagdad
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagdad
- Hyde Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- West Leechburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- West Leechburg is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leechburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- Weinel Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Weinel Crossroads is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weinel Crossroads
- East Vandergrift
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- East Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vandergrift
- Population from the 2020 Census: 631 people
- Vandergrift
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Oklahoma
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Oklahoma is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 739 people
- Lower Burrell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Arnold
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- New Kensington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Van Buren, see our County-by-County Page for Van Buren.
Cemeteries Near Van Buren ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Van Buren.
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 Van Buren - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Van Buren covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- St. Eusebius Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Robinson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Crawford Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Duncan Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- White Oak Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Brush Valley Brethren Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Croyle Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Shakley Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cochran Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fletcher Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (183 more) ...
- Bear Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Fairview Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Worthington Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
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 Van Buren in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Van Buren.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Van Buren, with the one closest to Van Buren listed first.
- Phillipston
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Phillipston is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipston
- Catfish
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Catfish is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- East Brady
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- New Athens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- New Athens is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Athens
- Sarah Furnace
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sarah Furnace is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah Furnace
- Sherrett
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sherrett is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherrett
- Queenstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Queenstown is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queenstown
- Bradys Bend
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Bradys Bend is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradys Bend
- Adams
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Adams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
- Rimer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rimer is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
- Tidal
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tidal is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tidal
- Upper Hillville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Upper Hillville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Hillville
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Lawsonham
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lawsonham is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonham
- Bela
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bela is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bela
- Widnoon
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Widnoon is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widnoon
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Van Buren. See our List of 1890's Communities around Van Buren.
Newspapers Published in Van Buren ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Van Buren.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Van Buren, 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 Van Buren.
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 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 Van Buren:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Armstrong County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Butler County
- Clarion County
- Indiana County
- Jefferson County
- Mercer County
- Venango County
- Westmoreland 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 Van Buren, 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' (or 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- Van Buren) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |