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 Willow (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 Willow. 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 Willow ...
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 Willow: W. Willow
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Willow. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Willow.
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 Willow 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 Willow. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Willow:
- Lancaster County (The home county of West Willow)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Willow Street
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- New Danville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- New Danville is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Danville
- Lampeter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Herrville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Herrville is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrville
- Millersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Refton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Refton is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refton
- Conestoga
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Slackwater
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Slackwater is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slackwater
- Lancaster
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Talmage
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Talmage is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmage
- Union
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Union is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Rockhill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rockhill is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
- Berks County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Adamstown
(22 miles [35.4 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
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Alleghenyville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghenyville
- Morgantown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New Morgan
(25 miles [40.2 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
- Angelica
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Angelica is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelica
- Beckersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beckersville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckersville
- Joanna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Joanna is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joanna
- Kenneys
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kenneys is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenneys
- Mohnton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Plowville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Plowville is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plowville
- Tallowyck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Tallowyck is located in Berks County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallowyck
- Wernersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Atglen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Vernon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vernon is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Compass
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Compass is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compass
- Lenover
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lenover is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenover
- Tweedale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Tweedale is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tweedale
- Cambridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Cambridge is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambridge
- Parkesburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Glen Roy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Glen Roy is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Roy
- Hopewell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hopewell is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Sadsburyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Oxford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Barnsley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Barnsley is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnsley
- Dauphin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Bachmanville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bachmanville is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachmanville
- Royalton
(27 miles [43.5 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
- Hershey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Middletown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Hummelstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union Deposit
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union Deposit is located in Dauphin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Deposit
- Lebanon County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Burd Coleman Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Burd Coleman Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burd Coleman Village
- Johnstown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Johnstown is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnstown
- Miners Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Miners Village is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miners Village
- Colebrook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Colebrook is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colebrook
- Lawn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Gretna Heights
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Gretna Heights is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gretna Heights
- Mount Gretna
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Timber Hills is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timber Hills
- Cornwall
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Quentin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Schaefferstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fontana
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana is located in Lebanon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Goram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Goram is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goram
- Airville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kyleville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kyleville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyleville
- Craley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Craley is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craley
- East Prospect
(11 miles [17.7 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
- New Bridgeville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- New Bridgeville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridgeville
- Slab
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Slab is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Wrightsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Castle Fin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Castle Fin is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Fin
- Bruce
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bruce is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Bittersville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bittersville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bittersville
- Bryansville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bryansville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryansville
- Baltimore County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Gorsuch Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gorsuch Mills is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorsuch Mills
- Maryland Line
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Shane
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Trump
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Trump is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trump
- Freeland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Stablersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Walker
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Eklo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Parkton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- White Hall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cecil County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bald Friar was located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Oakwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Rock Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Conowingo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Mason Dixon Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Dixon Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Dixon Village
- Rowlandsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rowlandsville is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlandsville
- Rising Sun
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sylmar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sylmar is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylmar
- Colora
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Liberty Grove is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Grove
- Calvert
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Calvert is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvert
- Winchester Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Winchester Village is located in Cecil County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester Village
- Harford County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Cambria
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Cambria is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria
- Whiteford
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Pylesville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Street
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Conowingo Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Conowingo Village is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conowingo Village
- Dublin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Dublin is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Poole
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Poole is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poole
- Scarboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Scarboro is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
- Darlington
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Federal Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Chestnut Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Chestnut Hill is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Hill
- Glenville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Glenville is located in Harford County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
- Montgomery County (MD)
- High Point Estates
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- High Point Estates is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point Estates
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Willow, see our County-by-County Page for West Willow.
Cemeteries Near West Willow ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Willow.
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 Willow - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Willow covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Conestoga Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Woodward Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Cedar Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Christ Covenant Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Conestoga UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conestoga UMC Cemetery
- The Conestoga UMC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Conestoga.
- The Conestoga UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Conestoga Methodist Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2264305 <2>
- Marticville UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Riverview Burial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Burial Park
- 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>
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shreiner - Concord Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- St. Josephs New Catholic Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Degel Israel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (325 more) ...
- Mellinger Mennonite Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- St. Anthonys Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Millersville Mennonite Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that West Willow had a population of 193 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Willow, with the one closest to West Willow listed first.
- Baumgardner
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Baumgardner is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baumgardner
- Willow Street
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- New Danville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- New Danville is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Danville
- Herrville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Herrville is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrville
- Lampeter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oregon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oregon is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oregon
- Conestoga
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Smithville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Smithville is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Refton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Refton is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Refton
- Lime Valley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Lime Valley is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lime Valley
- Millersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Slackwater
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Slackwater is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slackwater
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Rockhill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rockhill is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
- Lancaster
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Greenland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Greenland is also located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Willow. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Willow.
Newspapers Published in West Willow ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Willow.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Willow, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Willow.
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 Willow:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Lancaster County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Berks County
- Chester County
- Dauphin County
- Lebanon County
- York County
- Baltimore County
- Cecil County
- Harford County
- Montgomery 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 Willow, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Willow) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |