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 Lancaster (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 Lancaster. 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 Lancaster ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Lancaster: W. Lancaster
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Lancaster. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Lancaster.
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 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 Lancaster is located in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County: Cecil (MD), Harford (MD), Berks, Chester, Dauphin, Lebanon & York.
Below are the counties that are near West Lancaster. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Lancaster:
- Lancaster County (The home county of West Lancaster)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Wheatland
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Wheatland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 577 people
- Rohrerstown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Lancaster
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Millersville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Fruitville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fruitville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitville
- Slackwater
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Slackwater is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slackwater
- Windom
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Mountville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- East Petersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Kenwick Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kenwick Village is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenwick Village
- Landisville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Central Manor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Central Manor is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Manor
- Letort
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Letort is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letort
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Adamstown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Adamstown is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,905 people
- Adamstown has also been known as:
- Adamschteddel
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adamstown <1>
- Alleghenyville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Alleghenyville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghenyville
- Womelsdorf
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Robesonia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wernersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Morgantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Phoebe Berks Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tallowyck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tallowyck is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallowyck
- Mount Aetna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Angelica
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Angelica is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelica
- Mohnton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Morgan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Morgan is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Morgan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
- Plowville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Plowville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plowville
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Atglen
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Compass
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Compass is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compass
- Cambridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cambridge is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Lenover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Lenover is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenover
- Honey Brook
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Parkesburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mount Vernon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vernon is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Sadsburyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Suplee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Suplee is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Suplee
- Glen Roy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Roy is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Roy
- Tweedale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Tweedale is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tweedale
- Dampman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Dampman is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dampman
- Hopewell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hopewell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Cumberland County
- Lisburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Lisburn is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisburn
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Bachmanville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Middletown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Royalton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Royalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,019 people
- Clifton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Hershey
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hummelstown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Union Deposit
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Highspire
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Grantville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherford is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherford
- Lawnton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lawnton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawnton
- Manadahill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Manadahill is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manadahill
- Shellsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Shellsville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shellsville
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Mount Gretna Heights
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
- Lawn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Gretna
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
- Burd Coleman Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
- Johnstown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Johnstown is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Miners Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Miners Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miners Village
- Colebrook
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Cornwall
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Quentin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Schaefferstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Fontana
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
- Campbelltown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- East Prospect
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- East Prospect is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Prospect
- Population from the 2020 Census: 912 people
- Wrightsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Craley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Craley is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley
- Goram
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Goram is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goram
- New Bridgeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Bridgeville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridgeville
- Bittersville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bittersville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bittersville
- Yorkana
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Yorkana is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkana
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Hallam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hallam is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,634 people
- Airville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Holtz
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Holtz is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holtz
- Windsor
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kyleville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Kyleville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyleville
- Springvale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Springvale is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springvale
- Baltimore County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Gorsuch Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Maryland Line
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Trump
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Trump is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trump
- Freeland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Shane
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Stablersville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Walker
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Cecil County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bald Friar is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Rock Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Oakwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Conowingo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Dixon Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Dixon Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Dixon Village
- Rising Sun
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sylmar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sylmar is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylmar
- Colora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rowlandsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rowlandsville is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlandsville
- Liberty Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Grove is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Grove
- Calvert
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Calvert is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvert
- Harford County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Cambria
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cambria is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria
- Whiteford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Pylesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Street
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dublin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Dublin is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Poole
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Poole is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poole
- Scarboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Scarboro is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
- Conowingo Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Conowingo Village is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conowingo Village
- Darlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Federal Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Chestnut Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chestnut Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Kalmia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Kalmia is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalmia
- Sharon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Sharon is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Lancaster, see our County-by-County Page for West Lancaster.
Cemeteries Near West Lancaster ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Lancaster.
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 Lancaster - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Lancaster covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Millersville Mennonite Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Degel Israel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- St. Josephs New Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Conestoga Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conestoga Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Conestoga Memorial Park is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Lancaster.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #44619 <2>
- Cedar Lawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Woodward Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- St. James Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Shreiner - Concord Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lancaster Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Centerville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Riverview Burial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Burial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Riverview Burial Park is a very large cemetery that is located in Lancaster.
- The Riverview Burial Park has also been known as:
- Riverview Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1542536 <2>
- Continue List (328 more) ...
- St. Anthonys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shaurai Shomayim Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 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 Lancaster in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Lancaster.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Lancaster, with the one closest to West Lancaster listed first.
- Rohrerstown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Millersville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Lancaster
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Shreiners
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Shreiners is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shreiners
- Windom
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Slackwater
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Slackwater is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slackwater
- Bamford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bamford is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamford
- Mountville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Letort
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Letort is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letort
- New Danville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Danville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Danville
- East Petersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Landisville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Silver Spring
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Silver Spring is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Spring
- Hempfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hempfield is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hempfield
- Mechanicsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mechanicsville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Lancaster. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Lancaster.
Newspapers Published in West Lancaster ...
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 90 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Lancaster.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Lancaster, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Lancaster.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Lancaster:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Lancaster County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Chester County
- Cumberland County
- Dauphin County
- Lebanon County
- York County
- Baltimore County
- Cecil County
- Harford 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 Lancaster, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Lancaster) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |