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 Franklin (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 Franklin. 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 Franklin ...
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 Franklin: W. Franklin
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Franklin. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Franklin.
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 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 Franklin is located in Bradford 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 Bradford County: Chemung (NY), Tioga (NY), Lycoming, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga & Wyoming.
Below are the counties that are near West Franklin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Franklin:
- Bradford County (The home county of West Franklin)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Franklindale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Franklindale is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklindale
- Long Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Long Valley is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Valley
- Granville Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Granville Center is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville Center
- Burlington
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Burlington is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- Mountain Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Lake is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Luthers Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Luthers Mills is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luthers Mills
- West Leroy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- West Leroy is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
- Monroe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Monroe is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 511 people
- Monroeton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Windfall
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Windfall is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windfall
- Wetona
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Wetona is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wetona
- Saco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Saco is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saco
- Columbia County
- Jamison City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jamison City is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamison City
- Luzerne County
- Ricketts ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ricketts is located in Luzerne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricketts
- Lycoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Chemung
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Chemung is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chemung
- Ellenton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ellenton is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellenton
- Proctor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Proctor is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
- Ralston
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ralston is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralston
- Wallis Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wallis Run is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallis Run
- Beaver Lake
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Beaver Lake is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Lake
- Lungerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lungerville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lungerville
- Warrensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Warrensville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warrensville
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Piatt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Piatt is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piatt
- Lincoln Falls
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Lincoln Falls is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln Falls
- Millview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Millview is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millview
- Forksville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Dushore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hillsgrove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Eagles Mere
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Shinerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Shinerville is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shinerville
- Laporte
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Ogdonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Ogdonia is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdonia
- Bernice
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bernice is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernice
- Long Brook
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Long Brook is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Brook
- Susquehanna County
- Rushville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rushville is located in Susquehanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Tioga County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Gleason
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Gleason is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleason
- Fallbrook ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fallbrook is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallbrook
- Ogdensburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Ogdensburg is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogdensburg
- Mainesburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mainesburg is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mainesburg
- Roseville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Roseville is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 184 people
- Morris Run
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Morris Run is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Run
- Blossburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- East Point
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- East Point is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Point
- Covington
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Mansfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Millerton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Millerton is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millerton
- Sebring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sebring is located in Tioga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sebring
- Wyoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Stowell
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Stowell is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowell
- Laceyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Skinners Eddy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Skinners Eddy is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skinners Eddy
- Jenningsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jenningsville is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenningsville
- Forkston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Forkston is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forkston
- Mehoopany Station
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mehoopany Station is located in Wyoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mehoopany Station
- Meshoppen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Chemung County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Chemung
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wellsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Owens Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Owens Mills is located in Chemung County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owens Mills
- Southport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Southport is located in Chemung County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southport
- Pine City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Webb Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Webb Mills is located in Chemung County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webb Mills
- Elmira
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Sagetown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sagetown is located in Chemung County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sagetown
- West Elmira
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- West Elmira is located in Chemung County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Elmira
- Tioga County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Waverly
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Barton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hoopers Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hoopers Valley is located in Tioga County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoopers Valley
- Nichols
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smithboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lockwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- East Nichols
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Nichols is located in Tioga County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Nichols
- Lounsberry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lounsberry is located in Tioga County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lounsberry
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Franklin, see our County-by-County Page for West Franklin.
Cemeteries Near West Franklin ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Franklin.
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 Franklin - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Franklin covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Granville Center Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hilton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Powell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Gustin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Luthers Mills Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bradford County Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ballard Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- East Troy Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kellogg Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Cole Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- East Canton Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Beech Flats Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Continue List (180 more) ...
- Greenwood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- St.s Phillip & James Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wetona Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Franklin had a population of 54 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Franklin, with the one closest to West Franklin listed first.
- Barclay
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Barclay is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclay
- Franklindale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Franklindale is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklindale
- Leroy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Leroy is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leroy
- Long Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Long Valley is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Valley
- Granville Center
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Granville Center is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville Center
- West Burlington
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- West Burlington is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Burlington
- Highland
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Highland is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Mountain Lake
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Lake is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Burlington
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Burlington is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- West Leroy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- West Leroy is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Leroy
- Weston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Weston is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
- Powell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Powell is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell
- Continue List (23 more) ...
- Overshot
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Overshot is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overshot
- Luthers Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Luthers Mills is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luthers Mills
- Monroe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Monroe is located in Bradford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe
- Population from the 2020 Census: 511 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Franklin. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Franklin.
Newspapers Published in West Franklin ...
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 105 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Franklin.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Franklin, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Franklin.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to West Franklin:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Bradford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Columbia County
- Luzerne County
- Lycoming County
- Sullivan County
- Susquehanna County
- Tioga County
- Wyoming County
- Chemung County
- Tioga 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> | 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 Franklin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Franklin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |