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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 West Branch (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 West Branch. 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.

Name Variations for West Branch ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Branch: W. Branch

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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.

West Branch is located in Cambria 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 Cambria County: Bedford, Blair, Centre, Clearfield, Indiana, Somerset & Westmoreland.

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

  • Cambria County     (The home county of West Branch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Barnesboro
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnesboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesboro
      • Barnesboro is located in Cambria County
    • Northern Cambria
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northern Cambria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northern Cambria
      • Northern Cambria is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,456 people
    • Garmantown
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Spangler
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Hastings
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hastings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
      • Hastings is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hastings <2>
    • Nicktown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Saint Benedict
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Elmora
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Carrolltown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Patton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
      • Patton is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Patton <2>
    • Thomas Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomas Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Mills
      • Thomas Mills is located in Cambria County
    • Colver
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Barnards
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Barnards. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnards
      • Barnards is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Barnards
      • From West Branch to Barnards
    • Atwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atwood
      • Atwood is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 100 people
    • Bryan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bryan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan
      • Bryan is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bryan
      • From West Branch to Bryan
    • Dayton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 503 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
    • Elderton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elderton
      • Elderton is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elderton <2>
    • Rural Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Blanco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Blanco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanco
      • Blanco is located in Armstrong County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Blanco
      • From West Branch to Blanco
    • Yatesboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Bedford County
    • Pavia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pavia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pavia
      • From West Branch to Pavia
  • Blair County
  • Centre County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Sandy Ridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
      • Sandy Ridge is located in Centre County
    • New Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
      • New Town is located in Centre County
  • Clearfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Sylvis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sylvis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
      • Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sylvis
      • From West Branch to Sylvis
    • Westover
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
    • Burnside
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnside
      • Burnside is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 220 people
    • New Washington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Washington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Washington
      • New Washington is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
    • McPherron
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McPherron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPherron
      • McPherron is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McPherron
      • From West Branch to McPherron
    • Lyleville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Newburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newburg
      • Newburg is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
    • Thompsontown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thompsontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompsontown
      • Thompsontown is located in Clearfield County
    • Blain City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Coalport
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Irvona
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosebud
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rosebud. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosebud
      • Rosebud is located in Clearfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rosebud
      • From West Branch to Rosebud
  • Huntingdon County
  • Indiana County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Uniontown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Uniontown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
      • Uniontown is located in Indiana County
    • Alverda
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grisemore
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grisemore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grisemore
      • Grisemore is located in Indiana County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grisemore
      • From West Branch to Grisemore
    • Cherry Tree
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Tree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Tree
      • Cherry Tree is located in Indiana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 334 people
    • Heilwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heilwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heilwood
      • Heilwood is located in Indiana County
    • Cookport
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Pine Flats
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Commodore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Hillsdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Kenwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Glen Campbell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glen Campbell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Campbell
      • Glen Campbell is located in Indiana County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glen Campbell <2>
    • Purchase Line
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Winslow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Winslow. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winslow
      • Winslow is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Winslow
      • From West Branch to Winslow
    • Punxsutawney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Albion
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sykesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sykesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sykesville
      • Sykesville is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,107 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sykesville <2>
    • Oliveburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oliveburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliveburg
      • Oliveburg is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oliveburg
      • From West Branch to Oliveburg
    • Panic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Wishaw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wishaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wishaw
      • Wishaw is located in Jefferson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wishaw
      • From West Branch to Wishaw
    • Prescottville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Timblin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timblin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timblin
      • Timblin is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Reynoldsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Coolspring
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
      • Green Valley is located in Jefferson County
  • Lawrence County
    • Big Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
      • Big Run is located in Lawrence County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 594 people
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch listed first.
    • Tire Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Paint
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paint have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint
      • Paint is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 930 people
    • Windber
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Westmoreland County

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

Cemeteries Near West Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Branch.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Branch, with the one closest to West Branch 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, West Branch had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Nicktown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Hastings
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hastings have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
    • Hastings is located in Cambria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,145 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hastings <2>
  • Spruce
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spruce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spruce
    • Spruce is located in Indiana County
  • Grisemore
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grisemore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grisemore
    • Grisemore is located in Indiana County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Grisemore
    • From West Branch to Grisemore
  • Carrolltown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Vetera
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vetera have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vetera
    • Vetera is located in Cambria County
  • Patton
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton
    • Patton is located in Cambria County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,576 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Patton <2>
  • Sylvis
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sylvis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvis
    • Sylvis is located in Clearfield County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sylvis
    • From West Branch to Sylvis
  • Cookport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Pine Flats
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Cush Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cush Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cush Creek
    • Cush Creek is located in Indiana County
  • Saint Lawrence
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Lawrence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lawrence
    • Saint Lawrence is located in Cambria County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Westover
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Clearfield County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 374 people
    • Patchinville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Patchinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patchinville
      • Patchinville is located in Clearfield County
    • Hillsdale
      (8 miles [12.9 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 West Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Branch.

Newspapers Published in West Branch ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Branch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Branch, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Branch.

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 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 West Branch:

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

The official website for Cambria County: www.co.cambria.pa.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 West Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Branch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.6617, Longitude: -78.7862    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025