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 Hamilton Heights (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 Hamilton Heights. 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 Hamilton Heights ...
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 Hamilton Heights: W. Hamilton Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)
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 Hamilton Heights is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Frederick (MD), Washington (MD), Adams, Cumberland, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata & Perry.
Below are the counties that are near West Hamilton Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Hamilton Heights:
- Franklin County (The home county of West Hamilton Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Cheesetown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cheesetown is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheesetown
- Chambersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Guilford Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Guilford Springs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford Springs
- Keefers
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keefers is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
- Green Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Green Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
- New Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- New Franklin is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Franklin
- West Fayetteville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- West Fayetteville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Fayetteville
- Cashtown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Marion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Marion is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Saint Thomas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fayetteville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Guilford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Adams County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Trust
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Trust is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Cashtown
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cashtown is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
- Orrtanna
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Virginia Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Arendtsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- McKnightstown Station
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Fairfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jacks Mountain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Mummasburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mummasburg is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mummasburg
- Seven Stars
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Seven Stars is located in Adams County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Carroll Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Breezewood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Coaldale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Coaldale is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Hopewell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Saxton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Graceville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Graceville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceville
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Shippensburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
- Big Spring
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Big Spring is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Spring
- Washington
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Washington is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Newville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Huntsdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Huntsdale is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsdale
- Montsera
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Montsera is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montsera
- Bears Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bears Crossroads is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bears Crossroads
- Hunters Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hunters Run is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Run
- Barnitz
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Barnitz is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnitz
- Plainfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fulton County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Burnt Cabins
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
- Knobsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Knobsville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
- Fort Littleton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- McConnellsburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Clear Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Clear Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Ridge
- Harrisonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Harrisonville is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Websters Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Websters Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
- Laidig
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Laidig is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laidig
- Pleasant Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
- Waterfall
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sipes Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
- Covalt
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Covalt is located in Fulton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
- Huntingdon County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Neelyton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Neelyton is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neelyton
- Maddensville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Maddensville is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maddensville
- Shade Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Pogue
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pogue is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pogue
- Selea
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Selea is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selea
- Orbisonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Three Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Blairs Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Blairs Mills is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairs Mills
- Rockhill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rockhill is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 361 people
- Rockhill has also been known as:
- Rockhill Furnace
- Saltillo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Saltillo is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saltillo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Shirleysburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Coles ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Coles is located in Huntingdon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coles
- Juniata County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Waterloo
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Waterloo is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- Perulack
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Perulack is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perulack
- East Rutherford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- East Rutherford is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Rutherford
- Peru Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Peru Mills is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru Mills
- Perry County
- New Germantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Carroll County (MD)
- Harney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Harney is located in Carroll County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Frederick County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Sabillasville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Emmitsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thurmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Walk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
- Jimtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Catoctin Furnace
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Rocky Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Washington County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Hill Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hill Village is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
- Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Leitersburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Leitersburg is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
- Long Meadow
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
- Maugansville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Paramount - Long Meadow
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Paramount - Long Meadow is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paramount - Long Meadow
- Pen Mar
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Pen Mar is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pen Mar has also been known as:
- Pen Mar Park
- Fairview
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Highfield - Cascade
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Bridgeport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bridgeport is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Cavetown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Cavetown is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown
- Chewsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Chewsville is located in Washington County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Little Georgetown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Falling Waters
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Cherry Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
- Sleepy Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Hamilton Heights, see our County-by-County Page for West Hamilton Heights.
Cemeteries Near West Hamilton Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Hamilton Heights.
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 Hamilton Heights - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Hamilton Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Corpus Christi Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Chambersburg Mennonite Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Myers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Guilford Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Horse Valley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Veterans Memorial Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lower Path Valley Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- German Reformed Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German Reformed Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the German Reformed Cemetery is located in Greencastle.
- The German Reformed Cemetery has also been known as:
- Reformed Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2261256 <2>
- Gods Acre Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (237 more) ...
- Antietam Church Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antietam Church Cemetery
- The Antietam Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Prices Church Cemetery
- Trinity Fellowship Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1753915 <2>
- Strang Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cree Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 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.<3>
While we didn't find West Hamilton Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Hamilton Heights.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Hamilton Heights, with the one closest to West Hamilton Heights listed first.
- Chambersburg
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Guilford Springs
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Guilford Springs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford Springs
- Keefers
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keefers is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
- Housum
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Housum is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Housum
- New Franklin
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- New Franklin is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Franklin
- Woodstock
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Woodstock is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Scotland
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Green Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Green Village is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
- Saint Thomas
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Marion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Marion is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
- Edenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Edenville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edenville
- Duffield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Duffield is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffield
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Fayetteville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Hall
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hall is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hall
- Upper Strasburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Upper Strasburg is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Strasburg
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Hamilton Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Hamilton Heights.
Newspapers Published in West Hamilton Heights ...
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 130 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Hamilton Heights.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Hamilton Heights, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Hamilton Heights.
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 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 Hamilton Heights:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Adams County
- Bedford County
- Cumberland County
- Fulton County
- Huntingdon County
- Juniata County
- Perry County
- Carroll County
- Frederick County
- Washington County
- Berkeley County
- Morgan 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 Hamilton Heights, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Hamilton Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |