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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 Watsontown (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 Watsontown. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Watsontown is located in Northumberland 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 Northumberland County: Columbia, Dauphin, Lycoming, Montour, Schuylkill, Snyder & Union.

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

  • Northumberland County     (The home county of Watsontown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Dewart
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • McEwensville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Milton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
    • Turbotville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turbotville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turbotville
      • Turbotville is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 662 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turbotville <1>
    • Potts Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Northumberland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Chulasky
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chulasky. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
      • Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chulasky
      • From Watsontown to Chulasky
    • Riverside
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,839 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Riverside <1>
    • Sunbury
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Keefers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keefers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
      • Keefers is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keefers
      • From Watsontown to Keefers
    • Rushtown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rushtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushtown
      • Rushtown is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rushtown
      • From Watsontown to Rushtown
    • Snydertown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Snydertown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snydertown
      • Snydertown is located in Northumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
  • Centre County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Livonia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Livonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
      • Livonia is located in Centre County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Livonia
      • From Watsontown to Livonia
    • Woodward
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Fiedler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fiedler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiedler
      • Fiedler is located in Centre County
  • Clinton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Rauchtown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Loganton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loganton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
      • Loganton is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 475 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loganton <1>
    • Avis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avis
      • Avis is located in Clinton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,476 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Avis <1>
    • Greenburr
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • McElhattan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Youngdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Castanea
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Dunnstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunnstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnstown
      • Dunnstown is located in Clinton County
    • Rote
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rote. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rote
      • Rote is located in Clinton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rote
      • From Watsontown to Rote
    • Lock Haven
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Swissdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swissdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swissdale
      • Swissdale is located in Clinton County
    • Tylersville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Columbia County
  • Dauphin County
    • Pillow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pillow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillow
      • Pillow is located in Dauphin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pillow <1>
  • Juniata County
  • Luzerne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Fairmount Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • New Columbus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Columbus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Columbus
      • New Columbus is located in Luzerne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
  • Lycoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Maple Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maple Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
      • Maple Hill is located in Lycoming County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Maple Hill
      • From Watsontown to Maple Hill
    • Muncy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Montoursville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montoursville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montoursville
      • Montoursville is located in Lycoming County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,393 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montoursville <1>
    • Muncy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muncy came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
      • Muncy is located in Lycoming County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
    • South Williamsport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Duboistown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duboistown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duboistown
      • Duboistown is located in Lycoming County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
    • Faxon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Williamsport
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Newberry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberry
      • Newberry is located in Lycoming County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newberry
      • From Watsontown to Newberry
    • Garden View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden View
      • Garden View is located in Lycoming County
    • Grimesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Collomsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Montour County
  • Schuylkill County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Klingerstown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Klingerstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klingerstown
      • Klingerstown is located in Schuylkill County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Klingerstown <1>
    • Rough and Ready
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Snyder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watsontown, with the one closest to Watsontown listed first.
    • Kratzerville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kratzerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
      • Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
    • Shamokin Dam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Hummels Wharf
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hummels Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hummels Wharf
      • Hummels Wharf is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hummels Wharf <1>
    • Penns Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Penns Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penns Creek
      • Penns Creek is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Penns Creek <1>
    • Selinsgrove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selinsgrove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selinsgrove
      • Selinsgrove is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,913 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selinsgrove <1>
    • Globe Mills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Kreamer
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kreamer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kreamer
      • Kreamer is located in Snyder County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kreamer <1>
    • Freeburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
      • Freeburg is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
    • Middleburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middleburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
      • Middleburg is located in Snyder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middleburg <1>
    • Coon Hunter
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Dundore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Paxtonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Sullivan County
  • Union County

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

Cemeteries Near Watsontown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watsontown.

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 Watsontown covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Watsontown had a population of 2,158 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Watsontown had a population of 2,243 people.

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

  • Dewart
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • McEwensville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Allenwood
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • New Columbia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Warrior Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warrior Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrior Run
    • Warrior Run is located in Northumberland County
  • West Milton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Milton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
    • Milton is located in Northumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
  • Turbotville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turbotville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turbotville
    • Turbotville is located in Northumberland County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 662 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turbotville <1>
  • Alvira ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alvira. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvira
    • Alvira is located in Union County
    • Former name for Alvira:
    • Wisetown
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Alvira
    • From Watsontown to Alvira
  • Limestoneville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Limestoneville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestoneville
    • Limestoneville is located in Montour County
  • Schuyler
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Schuyler have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schuyler
    • Schuyler is located in Montour County
  • Kelly Point
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kelly Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly Point
    • Kelly Point is located in Union County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Potts Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • California
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for California have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for California
      • California is located in Montour County
    • Comly
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comly have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comly
      • Comly is located in Montour County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Watsontown ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watsontown.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Watsontown. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Watsontown and those printed in the larger area surrounding Watsontown.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<5> of Watsontown.

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 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 Watsontown:

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

The official website for Northumberland County: www.northumberlandco.org/

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>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.
<3>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.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Watsontown) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Watsontown. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.0853, Longitude: -76.8617    
<6>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.
<7>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 Watsontown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025