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 Vanilla (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 Vanilla. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Vanilla 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 Vanilla. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vanilla:
- Franklin County (The home county of Vanilla)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Welsh Run
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Claylick
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Mercersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Milnor
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Milnor is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnor
- Rockdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Williamson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Greencastle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Dickey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Dickey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Markes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Markes is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markes
- Cove Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cove Gap is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- Cashtown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kauffman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kauffman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Jacks Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Carroll Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fairfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Zora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Zora is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
- Orrtanna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Trust
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cashtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- McKnightstown Station
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Seven Stars
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Seven Stars is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Arendtsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Breezewood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Robinsonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Robinsonville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsonville
- Purcell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Purcell is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Graceville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Graceville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
- Hopewell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Coaldale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coaldale is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Everett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Shippensburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Newburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Websters Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- McConnellsburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Covalt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Knobsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- Needmore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Ridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Harrisonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Sipes Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Dott
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dott is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
- Warfordsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Burnt Cabins
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Fort Littleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Maddensville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Neelyton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Selea
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Shade Gap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Three Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Pogue
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pogue is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogue
- Allegany County (MD)
- Little Orleans
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Sabillasville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Walk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Myersville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Frostown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Frostown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frostown
- Bolivar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bolivar is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Thurmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Jimtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Emmitsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Middletown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountaindale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountaindale is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- Burkittsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Fairview
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Maugansville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Huyett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Huyett is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
- Wilson - Conococheague
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Wilson - Conococheague is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson - Conococheague
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Long Meadow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Clear Spring
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Hagerstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hagerstown is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 39,918 people
- Former name for Hagerstown:
- Hager's Town
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hagerstown <1>
- Halfway
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Halfway is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Williamsport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Woodcrest Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Woodcrest Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcrest Village
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Little Georgetown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Falling Waters
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bedington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Hedgesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Scrabble
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Swan Pond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Martinsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Baker Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Baker Heights is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Heights
- Arden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Arden is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Darkesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Darkesville is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkesville
- Inwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Jefferson County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Shepherdstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bardane
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bardane is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardane
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Cherry Run
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Sleepy Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
- Holton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
- Hancock
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
- Bath
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
- Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
- Berkeley Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Berryville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
- Woodmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
- Stotlers Crossroads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads
- Oakland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Orleans Cross Roads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vanilla, see our County-by-County Page for Vanilla.
Cemeteries Near Vanilla ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vanilla.
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 Vanilla - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vanilla covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Welsh Run Brethren Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Secrest Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Tabor Graveyard
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cushwa Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove Cemetery
- The Pine Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Church of God Corners Cemetery
- Bethel Graveyard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Broadfording Graveyard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Zion Graveyard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- German Reformed Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Reformed Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the German Reformed Cemetery is located in Greencastle.
- The German Reformed Cemetery has also been known as:
- Reformed Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2261256 <2>
- Union Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Reiffs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (273 more) ...
- Beautiful View Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- State Line Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- State Line UMC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<4>
While we didn't find Vanilla in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vanilla.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vanilla, with the one closest to Vanilla listed first.
- Welsh Run
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Welsh Run is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
- Claylick
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Claylick is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
- Upton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Upton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
- Fairview
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Mercersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mercersburg Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mercersburg Junction is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercersburg Junction
- Williamson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Williamson is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson
- Rockdale
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Rockdale is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Lemasters
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Broadfording
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Broadfording is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadfording
- Cearfoss
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cearfoss is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cearfoss
- Dickey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Dickey is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Greencastle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Markes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Markes is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markes
- State Line
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vanilla. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vanilla.
Newspapers Published in Vanilla ...
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 73 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vanilla.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vanilla, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vanilla.
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 Vanilla:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Bedford County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Allegany 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> | The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov. |
| <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 Vanilla, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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 from Point A (ie- Vanilla) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |