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 Wells (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 Wells. 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 and hospitals 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.
Wells is located in Indiana 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 Indiana County: Armstrong, Cambria, Clearfield, Jefferson & Westmoreland.
Below are the counties that are near Wells. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wells:
- Indiana County (The home county of Wells)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Smicksburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Georgeville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Elkin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elkin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin
- Plumville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Plumville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
- Mottarns Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Mottarns Mill is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mottarns Mill
- Ambrose
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Beyer
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beyer is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beyer
- Trade City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- Marchand
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Marchand is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand
- Davis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Davis is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Home
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Home is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Marion Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Armstrong County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Barnards
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Barnards is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
- Dayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Atwood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Atwood is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
- Bryan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bryan is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
- Echo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Echo is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Rural Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Yatesboro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Yatesboro is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yatesboro
- Eddyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Eddyville is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddyville
- Muff
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Muff is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muff
- McWilliams
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- McWilliams is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWilliams
- Blanco
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Blanco is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
- Oscar
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Oscar is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
- Butler County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Leasureville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Leasureville is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leasureville
- Dennys Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Dennys Mills is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennys Mills
- Fenelton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kepples Corners is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepples Corners
- Monroe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Monroe is located in Butler County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Cambria County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Garmantown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garmantown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garmantown
- Barnesboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
- Northern Cambria
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Northern Cambria is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northern Cambria
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,456 people
- West Branch
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- West Branch is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Branch
- Nicktown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Nicktown is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicktown
- Spangler
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Spangler is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler
- White Mill Crossing
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- White Mill Crossing is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mill Crossing
- Belsano
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Belsano is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belsano
- Hastings
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Benedict
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Benedict is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Benedict
- Elmora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elmora is located in Cambria County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmora
- Carrolltown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Clarion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Fairmont City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hawthorn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- New Bethlehem
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Crates
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Crates is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crates
- Brinkerton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brinkerton is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkerton
- Piolett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Piolett is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piolett
- Frogtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Frogtown is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogtown
- Lawsonham
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lawsonham is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonham
- Rimersburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Curllsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Curllsville is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curllsville
- Day
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Day is located in Clarion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Burnside
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Burnside is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
- Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
- Mahaffey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- New Washington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- New Washington is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Sylvis
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
- Troutville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Troutville is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troutville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 222 people
- Bower
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bower is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bower
- Newburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Newburg is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
- Helvetia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Helvetia is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helvetia
- Stanley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stanley is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Curry Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Curry Run is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curry Run
- Westover
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Westover is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
- Cherry Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cherry Corner is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Corner
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Valier
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Valier is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valier
- Punxsutawney
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Timblin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Timblin is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Oliveburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
- Worthville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Worthville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people
- Albion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Albion is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Langville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Langville is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langville
- Pansy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Pansy is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Coolspring
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Winslow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Winslow is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winslow
- Green Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
- Ohl
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Ohl is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ohl
- Lawrence County
- Big Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Big Run is located in Lawrence County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Avonmore
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Livermore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Livermore is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livermore
- East Vandergrift
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Vandergrift is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Vandergrift
- Population from the 2020 Census: 631 people
- Hyde Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vandergrift
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Leechburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- West Leechburg is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leechburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- Bagdad
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bagdad is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagdad
- Oklahoma
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oklahoma is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oklahoma
- Population from the 2020 Census: 739 people
- Salina
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bolivar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Burrell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Burrell is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrell
- Seward
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wells, see our County-by-County Page for Wells.
Cemeteries Near Wells ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wells.
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 Wells - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wells covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Smicksburg Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Dunkard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dayton Glad Run Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Old Washington Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Marchand Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Marchand Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Marchand.
- The Marchand Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mahoning Union Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1969616 <2>
- Round Top Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- White Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Grove Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Harmony Grove Cemetery is located between<3> the communities of Beyer and Shelocta. The cemetery lies 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> to the south of Beyer.
- The Harmony Grove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Five Points Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #45039 <2>
- Plum Creek Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (188 more) ...
- Crooked Creek Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> to the east of Marion Center.
- The Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Decker's Point Baptist Cemetery
- Shiloh Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2148815 <2>
- St.s Peter & Paul Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<5>
While we didn't find Wells in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wells.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wells, with the one closest to Wells listed first.
- Smicksburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Denton
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Denton is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denton
- Elkin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elkin is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin
- Georgeville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Plumville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Plumville is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plumville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 286 people
- Ambrose
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ambrose is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambrose
- Barnards
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Barnards is located in Armstrong County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
- Loop
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Loop is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loop
- Trade City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Trade City is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trade City
- North Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- North Point is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point
- Davis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Davis is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Home
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Home is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Marion Center
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Marchand
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Marchand is located in Indiana County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marchand
- Dayton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wells. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wells.
Newspapers Published in Wells ...
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 Wells.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wells, 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 Wells.
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 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 Wells:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Indiana County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Armstrong County
- Butler County
- Cambria County
- Clarion County
- Clearfield County
- Jefferson County
- Lawrence 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> | To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Beyer and Shelocta. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location. |
| <4> | 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- Wells) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Wells, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |