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 Creek (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 Creek. 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 Creek ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Creek: W. Creek
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Creek.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Creek is located in Cameron 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 Cameron County: Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, McKean & Potter.
Below are the counties that are near West Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Creek:
- Cameron County (The home county of West Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Weber City
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Weber City is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
- Emporium
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cameron
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Cameron is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
- Beechwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Huntley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Huntley is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
- Mix Run
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mix Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
- Driftwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wyside
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Wyside is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyside
- Centre County
- Pine Glen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Glen is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Glen
- Clearfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Tyler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Tyler is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
- Pottersdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pottersdale is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pottersdale
- Keewaydin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Keewaydin is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keewaydin
- Winterburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Winterburn is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winterburn
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Hammersley Fork
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Hammersley Fork is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammersley Fork
- Bitumen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bitumen is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitumen
- Cooks Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cooks Run is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Run
- Keating
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Keating is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keating
- Westport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Renovo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- South Renovo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- South Renovo is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Renovo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
- Elk County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Dents Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dents Run is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dents Run
- Grant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Grant is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Benezette
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Marys
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Instanter
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Caledonia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Caledonia is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Byrnedale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Streights
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Dagus Mines
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dagus Mines is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dagus Mines
- Johnsonburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Johnsonburg is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,264 people
- Scattertown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Scattertown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scattertown
- Wilcox
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jefferson County
- Crenshaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- McKean County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Gardeau
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Gardeau is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardeau
- Clermont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Clermont is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Crosby
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Crosby is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
- Hutchins
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hutchins is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
- Port Allegany
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Smethport
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Freeman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Freeman is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Mount Jewett
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Coontown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Coontown is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coontown
- Sartwell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sartwell is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartwell
- Kanesholm
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kanesholm is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanesholm
- Larabee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Larabee is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larabee
- Potter County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Austin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Roulette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Inez
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Inez is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inez
- Ayers Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ayers Hill is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayers Hill
- Coudersport
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Williston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Williston is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Sweden Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Sweden Valley is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweden Valley
- Hebron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- New Bergen ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- New Bergen is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bergen
- Population from the 2020 Census: 818 people
- Coneville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Coneville is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coneville
- Millport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Millport is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millport
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Creek, see our County-by-County Page for West Creek.
Cemeteries Near West Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Creek.
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 West Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Rich Valley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Newton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Pine St. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hicks Run Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mason Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wyle Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grove Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mix Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gilmore Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wharton Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (74 more) ...
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Costello Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Forksville Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find West Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Creek.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Creek, with the one closest to West Creek listed first.
- Emporium
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Truman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Truman is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truman
- Cameron
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Cameron is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
- Beechwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Sterling Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sterling Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling Run
- Sizerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sizerville is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sizerville
- Rathbun
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Rathbun is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rathbun
- Dents Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dents Run is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dents Run
- Gardeau
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Gardeau is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardeau
- Grant
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Grant is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Huntley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Huntley is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
- Mix Run
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mix Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Norwich
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Norwich is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwich
- First Fork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- First Fork is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for First Fork
- Benezette
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Creek.
Newspapers Published in West Creek ...
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 70 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Creek.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Creek, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Creek.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Creek:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Cameron County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Centre County
- Clearfield County
- Clinton County
- Elk County
- Jefferson County
- McKean County
- Potter County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Pennsylvania
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about West Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |