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 Lawn (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 Lawn. 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 Lawn ...
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 Lawn: W. Lawn
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Lawn. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Lawn.
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 and 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 Lawn is located in Union 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 Union County: Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland & Snyder.
Below are the counties that are near West Lawn. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Lawn:
- Union County (The home county of West Lawn)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Linntown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Linntown is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linntown
- Lewisburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- West Milton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- West Milton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milton
- Mazeppa
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Dry Valley Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- New Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- New Columbia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mifflinburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Red Bank
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Red Bank is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Allenwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Alvira ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Alvira is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvira
- Former name for Alvira:
- Wisetown
- Hartleton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hartleton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 275 people
- Centre County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Livonia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Livonia is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Livonia
- Woodward
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fiedler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Fiedler is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fiedler
- Wolfs Store
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wolfs Store is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfs Store
- Ingleby
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ingleby is located in Centre County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleby
- Rebersburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Aaronsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Coburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Millheim
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Clinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Rauchtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rauchtown is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rauchtown
- Loganton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Greenburr
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Greenburr is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenburr
- Avis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- McElhattan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Youngdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Youngdale is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngdale
- Tylersville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tylersville is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Rote
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Rote is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rote
- Castanea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunnstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dunnstown is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunnstown
- Salona
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Salona is located in Clinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona
- Columbia County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Grovania
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Grovania is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grovania
- Jerseytown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Jerseytown is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerseytown
- Buckhorn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Buckhorn is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckhorn
- Mordansville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mordansville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mordansville
- Rupert
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rupert is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rupert
- Eyers Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Eyers Grove is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eyers Grove
- Millville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bloomsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Catawissa
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Fernville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Fernville is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fernville
- Iola
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Iola is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
- Paper Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Paper Mill is located in Columbia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paper Mill
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Pillow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Erdman
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Erdman is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erdman
- Berrysburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Paxton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Paxton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxton
- Gratz
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Loyalton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Loyalton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loyalton
- Millersburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Rife
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Rife is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rife
- Elizabethville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lykens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dayton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
- Williamstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Juniata County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Richfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Knousetown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Knousetown is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knousetown
- Seven Stars
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Stars is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
- Swales
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Swales is located in Juniata County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swales
- McAlisterville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lycoming County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Maple Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Maple Hill is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
- Montgomery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Muncy
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Collomsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Collomsville is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collomsville
- Duboistown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Duboistown is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duboistown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,170 people
- South Williamsport
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Montoursville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Muncy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Muncy is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muncy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,191 people
- Williamsport
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Faxon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Faxon is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faxon
- Newberry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Newberry is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberry
- Garden View
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Garden View is located in Lycoming County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden View
- Montour County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Mooresburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mooresburg is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg
- Washingtonville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Washingtonville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washingtonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 270 people
- Danville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Exchange
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Exchange is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exchange
- Mechanicsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mechanicsville is located in Montour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Milton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Milton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
- Potts Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Northumberland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sunbury
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Watsontown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- McEwensville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dewart
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Selinsgrove Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Selinsgrove Junction is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selinsgrove Junction
- Keefers
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Keefers is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keefers
- Chulasky
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Chulasky is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chulasky
- Asherton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Asherton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asherton
- Mile Run
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mile Run is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mile Run
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Pfoutz Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pfoutz Valley is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pfoutz Valley
- Liverpool
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Reward
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Reward is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reward
- Millerstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Schuylkill County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Klingerstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rough and Ready
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Rough and Ready is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rough and Ready
- Pitman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Haas
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Haas is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haas
- Valley View
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hegins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lavelle - Locustdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lavelle - Locustdale is located in Schuylkill County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavelle - Locustdale
- Lavelle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Tower City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Snyder County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Kratzerville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Kratzerville is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kratzerville
- Hummels Wharf
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Shamokin Dam
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Kreamer
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Selinsgrove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Penns Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Globe Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Globe Mills is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Globe Mills
- Freeburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Freeburg is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 566 people
- Middleburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coon Hunter
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coon Hunter is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Hunter
- Dundore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Dundore is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundore
- Paxtonville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Paxtonville is located in Snyder County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paxtonville
- Sullivan County
- Beech Glen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beech Glen is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Lawn, see our County-by-County Page for West Lawn.
Cemeteries Near West Lawn ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Lawn.
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 Lawn - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Lawn covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Lewisburg Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Luntz Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Stoltzfus Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Guier Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sierer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- The Sierer Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sierer Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sierer Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the south of Mazeppa.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2143727 <2>
- White Deer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Grandview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Milton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Union Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Berlin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (166 more) ...
- Riverview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Josephs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Highland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find West Lawn in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Lawn.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Lawn, with the one closest to West Lawn listed first.
- Lewisburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Chillisquaque
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Chillisquaque is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chillisquaque
- Montandon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lochiel
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Lochiel is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochiel
- Winfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Winfield is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winfield
- Kelly Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kelly Point is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly Point
- Buffalo Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Crossroads is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Crossroads
- Vicksburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dry Valley Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kapp
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kapp is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kapp
- West Milton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- West Milton is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milton
- Mazeppa
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- New Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Milton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Milton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,550 people
- Cowan
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cowan is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Lawn. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Lawn.
Newspapers Published in West Lawn ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Lawn.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Lawn, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Lawn.
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 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 Lawn:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Union County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Centre County
- Clinton County
- Columbia County
- Dauphin County
- Juniata County
- Lycoming County
- Montour County
- Northumberland County
- Perry County
- Schuylkill County
- Snyder County
- Sullivan 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' (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 Lawn) 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 Lawn, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |