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 Williamsville (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 Williamsville. 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.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Williamsville is primarily located in Elk County. A portion of Williamsville extends into McKean 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 Elk County: Cameron, Clearfield, Forest, Jefferson, McKean & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Williamsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williamsville:
- Elk County (The home county of Williamsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Instanter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Streights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Wilcox
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Johnsonburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Johnsonburg is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,264 people
- Saint Marys
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- James City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Whistletown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Whistletown is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whistletown
- McKinley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- McKinley is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinley
- Windy City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Windy City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy City
- Ridgway
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Russell City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Russell City is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell City
- Dagus Mines
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dagus Mines is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dagus Mines
- Kylers Corners
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Kylers Corners is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kylers Corners
- Cameron County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Beechwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Beechwood is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
- Weber City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Weber City is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weber City
- Emporium
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cameron
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cameron is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
- Huntley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Huntley is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
- Mix Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mix Run is located in Cameron County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mix Run
- Driftwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Clearfield County
- Tyler
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Tyler is located in Clearfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyler
- Forest County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Sheffield Junction
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Sheffield Junction is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheffield Junction
- Iron City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Iron City is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
- Balltown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Balltown is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balltown
- Marienville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Marienville is located in Forest County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marienville
- Jefferson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Crenshaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Crenshaw is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crenshaw
- Brockway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Schoffner Corner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Schoffner Corner is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schoffner Corner
- Munderf
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Munderf is located in Jefferson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munderf
- McKean County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Hutchins
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hutchins is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
- Freeman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Freeman is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Clermont
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clermont is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Mount Jewett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coontown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Coontown is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coontown
- Kanesholm
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Kanesholm is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanesholm
- Crosby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crosby is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
- Tallyho
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tallyho is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallyho
- Kane
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Timbuck
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Timbuck is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuck
- Big Shanty
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Big Shanty is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Shanty
- Simpson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Simpson is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Smethport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Potter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Roulette
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Austin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Williston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Williston is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williston
- Inez
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Inez is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inez
- Hebron
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron is located in Potter County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Coudersport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Shinglehouse
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Roystone
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Roystone is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roystone
- Donaldson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Donaldson is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Barnes
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Barnes is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes
- Hoover
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hoover is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover
- Henrys Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Henrys Mills is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Mills
- Sheffield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kinzua ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kinzua is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
- Saybrook
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Saybrook is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saybrook
- Big Bend
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Big Bend is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Sugar Run ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Run is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Run
- Clarendon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hemlock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hemlock is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
- Stoneham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stoneham is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
- Allegany County (NY)
- Bowler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bowler is located in Allegany County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowler
- Cattaraugus County (NY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Harrisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Harrisburg is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisburg
- Four Mile
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Four Mile is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Mile
- Limestone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rock City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rock City is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock City
- Chipmunk
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Chipmunk is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chipmunk
- New Ireland ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- New Ireland is located in Cattaraugus County (NY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Ireland
- New Ireland has also been known as:
- Irish Town
- Little Ireland
- Portville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williamsville, see our County-by-County Page for Williamsville.
Cemeteries Near Williamsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williamsville.
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 Williamsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williamsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clermont Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bridge View Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Holy Rosary Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Rosary Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Holy Rosary Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The Holy Rosary Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wardvale Catholic Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1968966 <2>
- St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The St. John's Lutheran Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. John's Cemetery
- Wardvale Lutheran Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2159321 <2>
- Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Johnsonburg.
- The Wardvale United Methodist Cemetery has also been known as:
- Johnsonburg United Methodist Cemetery
- Rolfe United Methodist Cemetery
- Wardville Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2159320 <2>
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Greendale Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Norwich Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- McKean Memorial Park
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (69 more) ...
- St. Callistus Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- St. Elizabeths Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 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 Williamsville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Williamsville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williamsville, with the one closest to Williamsville listed first.
- Rasselas
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rasselas is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rasselas
- Midmont
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Midmont is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midmont
- Instanter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Instanter is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Instanter
- Hutchins
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hutchins is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchins
- Streights
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Streights is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Streights
- Freeman
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Freeman is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Wilcox
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ketner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ketner is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketner
- Glen Hazel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Glen Hazel is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Hazel
- Clermont
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clermont is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Dahoga
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dahoga is located in Elk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahoga
- Mount Jewett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Kushequa
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Kushequa is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kushequa
- Kasson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Kasson is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Griffiths
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Griffiths is located in McKean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williamsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williamsville.
Newspapers Published in Williamsville ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williamsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williamsville, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williamsville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Williamsville:
- Websites specific to Pennsylvania
- Pages specific to Elk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cameron County
- Clearfield County
- Forest County
- Jefferson County
- McKean County
- Potter County
- Warren County
- Allegany County
- Cattaraugus 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 Williamsville, 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- Williamsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |