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 Vanport (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 Vanport. 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 doctors and 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.
Vanport is located in Beaver 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 Beaver County: Columbiana (OH), Allegheny, Butler, Lawrence, Washington & Hancock (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Vanport. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vanport:
- Beaver County (The home county of Vanport)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Beaver
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Phillipsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Phillipsburg is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
- Fallston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bridgewater
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Rochester
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- East Rochester
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- East Rochester is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rochester
- Population from the 2020 Census: 526 people
- Monaca
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Brighton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Patterson Heights
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Patterson Heights is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 590 people
- Conway
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Beaver Falls
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dawson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dawson is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Allegheny County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Bell Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bell Acres is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,373 people
- Leetsdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Duff City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duff City is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duff City
- Edgeworth
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Edgeworth is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgeworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,646 people
- Sewickley Heights
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sewickley Heights is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sewickley Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 802 people
- Sewickley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bradford Woods
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bradford Woods is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford Woods
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,135 people
- Moon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Moon is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moon
- Franklin Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin Park is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,883 people
- Borough of Glen Osborne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Borough of Glen Osborne is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borough of Glen Osborne
- Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
- Osborne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Osborne is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborne
- Sewickley Hills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sewickley Hills is located in Allegheny County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sewickley Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 693 people
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Fernway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Fernway is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernway
- Ogle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Ogle is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogle
- Fox Run
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Fox Run is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Run
- Zelienople
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Seven Fields
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Seven Fields is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Fields
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,740 people
- Callery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Evans City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mars
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Myoma
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Myoma is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myoma
- Watters
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Watters is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watters
- Valencia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Lawrence County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Ellport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ellport is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellport
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,102 people
- New Beaver
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- New Beaver is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Beaver
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,419 people
- Enon Valley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Wampum
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- East Moravia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- East Moravia is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Moravia
- Energy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Energy is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Energy
- Mount Jackson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Jackson is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Jackson
- S.N.P.J
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- S.N.P.J is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for S.N.P.J
- Estimated population in 2019: 19 people
- Altman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Altman is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altman
- Mahoningtown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mahoningtown is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahoningtown
- South New Castle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- South New Castle is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South New Castle
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Bessemer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mercer County
- North Liberty
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- North Liberty is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Liberty
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Candor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Candor is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candor
- Dinsmore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Dinsmore is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dinsmore
- Midway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Paris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Paris is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- MacDonald
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- MacDonald is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for MacDonald
- McDonald
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hanlin Station
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hanlin Station is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanlin Station
- Burgettstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Cross Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Cross Creek is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Creek
- Cokeburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cokeburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
- Pattersons Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pattersons Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pattersons Mill
- Woodrow
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Woodrow is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodrow
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Arnold
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- New Kensington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Columbiana County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- East End
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- East End is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East End
- Calcutta
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- East Liverpool
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- State Line ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- State Line is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Line
- La Croft
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- La Croft is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Croft
- East Palestine
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Rock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Rock is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Rock
- Glenmoor
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Glenmoor is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmoor
- Walkers
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Walkers is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkers
- East Carmel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Carmel is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Carmel
- Rogers
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Unity
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Unity is located in Columbiana County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unity
- Jefferson County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Empire
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Empire is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 279 people
- Stratton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Toronto
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Knoxville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Knoxville is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoxville
- New Somerset
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- New Somerset is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Somerset
- Cream City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Cream City is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cream City
- Irondale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Irondale is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irondale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 355 people
- Island Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Island Creek is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Creek
- Osage
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Osage is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Alikanna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Alikanna is located in Jefferson County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alikanna
- Steubenville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mahoning County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- New Middletown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- North Lima
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Lewistown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- East Lewistown is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lewistown
- Lowellville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Poland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Boardman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Struthers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Campbell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greenford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greenford is located in Mahoning County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenford
- Brooke County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Lower Ferry ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lower Ferry is located in Brooke County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Ferry
- Middle Ferry ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Middle Ferry is located in Brooke County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ferry
- Follansbee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hooverson Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hooverson Heights is located in Brooke County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooverson Heights
- Hancock County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Lawrenceville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lawrenceville is located in Hancock County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawrenceville
- Chester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Fairhaven
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fairhaven is located in Hancock County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairhaven
- Newell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- New Manchester
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Manchester is located in Hancock County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Manchester
- New Cumberland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Zalia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Zalia is located in Hancock County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zalia
- Weirton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vanport, see our County-by-County Page for Vanport.
Cemeteries Near Vanport ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vanport.
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 Vanport - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vanport covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Beaver Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- North Branch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Clark Park Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Union Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Baker Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Passavant Memorial Homes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Irvin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Calvary Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (477 more) ...
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Daugherty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. Cecilias Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Vanport had a population of 500 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vanport, with the one closest to Vanport listed first.
- Bellowsville
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bellowsville is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellowsville
- Beaver
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Phillipsburg
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Phillipsburg is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipsburg
- Rochester
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
- Population from the 2020 Census: 817 people
- Fallston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Stobo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Stobo is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stobo
- Monaca
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- New Brighton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Holt
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Holt is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
- Conway
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Freedom
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Kenwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Kenwood is located in Beaver County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwood
- Beaver Falls
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Industry
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vanport. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vanport.
Newspapers Published in Vanport ...
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 120 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vanport.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vanport, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vanport.
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 Vanport:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Beaver County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegheny County
- Butler County
- Lawrence County
- Mercer County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland County
- Columbiana County
- Jefferson County
- Mahoning County
- Brooke County
- Hancock 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 Vanport, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Vanport) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |