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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 Washington (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 Washington. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Washington is located in Cumberland County.

To see how the shape of Pennsylvania's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cumberland County: Adams, Dauphin, Franklin, Perry & York.

Below are the counties that are near Washington. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Washington:

  • Cumberland County     (The home county of Washington)
  • Adams County
  • Allegheny County
    • Bloomfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield
      • Bloomfield is located in Allegheny County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,255 people
  • Franklin County
  • Fulton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Burnt Cabins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Fort Littleton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Littleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Littleton
      • Fort Littleton is located in Fulton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Littleton <1>
    • Knobsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Clear Ridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Huntingdon County
  • Juniata County
  • Mifflin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Kistler
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kistler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
      • Kistler is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
    • Newton Hamilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton Hamilton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton Hamilton
      • Newton Hamilton is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 198 people
    • Anderson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anderson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
      • Anderson is located in Mifflin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Anderson
      • From Washington to Anderson
    • Mattawana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • McVeytown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McVeytown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McVeytown
      • McVeytown is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 330 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McVeytown <1>
    • Atkinson Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Juniata Terrace
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Juniata Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juniata Terrace
      • Juniata Terrace is located in Mifflin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 533 people
    • Lewistown Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Lewistown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Highland Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Allensville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Belleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
      • Belleville is located in Mifflin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belleville <1>
  • Perry County
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.
    • Uniontown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in York County
    • Dillsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsburg
      • Dillsburg is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,579 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillsburg <1>
    • Mount Top
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Siddonsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Andersontown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Wellsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wellsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellsville
      • Wellsville is located in York County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wellsville <1>
    • Rudytown ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rudytown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudytown
      • Rudytown is located in York County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rudytown
      • From Washington to Rudytown

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Washington, see our County-by-County Page for Washington.

Cemeteries Near Washington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Washington covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.

  • Green Spring Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Newville Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • John Graham Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the John Graham Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the John Graham Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hanna Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hanna Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hanna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prospect Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McClures Gap Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McClures Gap Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McClures Gap Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eby Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McCaskey Graves
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCaskey Graves
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCaskey Graves have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blain Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (198 more) ...

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.<5>

While we didn't find Washington in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Washington.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Washington, with the one closest to Washington listed first.

  • Heberlig
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heberlig have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heberlig
    • Heberlig is located in Cumberland County
  • Green Spring
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Spring
    • Green Spring is located in Cumberland County
  • Newville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
    • Oakville is located in Cumberland County
  • Newburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
    • Newburg is located in Cumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newburg <1>
  • Big Spring
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Big Spring. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
    • Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Big Spring
    • From Washington to Big Spring
  • Stoughstown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoughstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoughstown
    • Stoughstown is located in Cumberland County
  • Mowersville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Middle Spring
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Spring
    • Middle Spring is located in Cumberland County
  • Walnut Bottom
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walnut Bottom have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Bottom
    • Walnut Bottom is located in Cumberland County
  • Mount Rock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Rock
    • Mount Rock is located in Cumberland County
  • Kerrsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerrsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrsville
    • Kerrsville is located in Cumberland County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Washington. See our List of 1890's Communities around Washington.

Newspapers Published in Washington ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Washington.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Washington, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Washington.

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 Washington:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Washington. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: https://www.pa.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>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 Washington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Washington) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Washington. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.2023, Longitude: -77.4780    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025