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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 Fairfield (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 Fairfield. 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 Fairfield ...

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 Fairfield: W. Fairfield

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 northwest 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 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.

West Fairfield is located in Westmoreland 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 Westmoreland County: Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Indiana & Somerset.

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

  • Westmoreland County     (The home county of West Fairfield)
  • Armstrong County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Edmon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Olivet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Spring Church
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Elderton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elderton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Orchard Hills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard Hills
      • Orchard Hills is located in Armstrong County
    • North Apollo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Apollo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Apollo
      • North Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Apollo <1>
    • Atwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Apollo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apollo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apollo
      • Apollo is located in Armstrong County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,507 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apollo <1>
    • Cochrans Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitesburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Pavia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pavia
      • Pavia is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pavia
      • From West Fairfield to Pavia
    • Pleasantville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasantville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
      • Pleasantville is located in Bedford County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 205 people
  • Blair County
  • Cambria County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Westmont
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westmont
      • Westmont is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,625 people
    • Brownstown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Cambria City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cambria City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria City
      • Cambria City is located in Cambria County
    • Elim
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elim have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elim
      • Elim is located in Cambria County
    • Lilly
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Lilly is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 873 people
    • Southmont
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southmont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
      • Southmont is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,048 people
    • Wilmore
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wilmore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
      • Wilmore is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wilmore <1>
    • Dale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Ferndale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Johnstown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Daisytown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • East Conemaugh
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Conemaugh have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Conemaugh
      • East Conemaugh is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,090 people
    • Franklin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Cambria County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Champion
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bear Rocks
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Laurelville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Seven Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seven Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
      • Seven Springs is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seven Springs <1>
    • White
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Indian Head
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Everson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Everson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Everson
      • Everson is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
  • Indiana County
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Fairfield, with the one closest to West Fairfield listed first.
    • Thomas Mill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Laurel Mountain Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Mountain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Mountain Village
      • Laurel Mountain Village is located in Somerset County
    • Jerome
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Somerset County
    • Tire Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jennerstown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jennerstown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jennerstown
      • Jennerstown is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 637 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jennerstown <1>
    • Davidsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davidsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidsville
      • Davidsville is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Davidsville <1>
    • Jenners
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jenners have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenners
      • Jenners is located in Somerset County
    • Benson
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Benson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Somerset County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
    • Hollsopple
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Blough
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Paint
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paint have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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
    • Roytown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Hooversville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near West Fairfield ...

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

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

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

  • Legat Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Legat Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Legat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Westview Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Westview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Westview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Mtn. Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Mtn. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Penrod Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Penrod Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Penrod Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wertz - Miltenberger Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Theresa Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Theresa Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Theresa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Stephens Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blairsville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Ligonier Valley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (219 more) ...
    • Laughlintown Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laughlintown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laughlintown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Casmirs Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Casmirs Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Casmirs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Francis Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 West Fairfield had a population of 238 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lockport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lockport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockport
    • Lockport is located in Westmoreland County
  • Bolivar
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • New Florence
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillsview
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsview have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsview
    • Hillsview is located in Westmoreland County
  • Grays
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grays have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grays
    • Grays is located in Westmoreland County
  • Seward
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Clyde
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clyde have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
    • Clyde is located in Indiana County
  • Hillside
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillside have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillside
    • Hillside is located in Westmoreland County
  • Millwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
    • Millwood is located in Westmoreland County
  • Cramer
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cramer have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cramer
    • Cramer is located in Indiana County
  • Armagh
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Heshbon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Smith
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smith have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
      • Smith is located in Indiana County
    • Cokeville ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cokeville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokeville
      • Cokeville is located in Westmoreland County
    • Burrell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burrell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrell
      • Burrell is located in Westmoreland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burrell
      • From West Fairfield to Burrell

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

Newspapers Published in West Fairfield ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Fairfield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Fairfield, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Fairfield.

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 Fairfield:

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

The official website for Westmoreland County: www.co.westmoreland.pa.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about West Fairfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Fairfield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Fairfield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.3493, Longitude: -79.1269       In this case, the coordinates for West Fairfield have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025