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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 Sterling (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 Sterling. 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 Sterling ...

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 have occurred.

The town of Sterling was originally named Pettyville

Past names for Sterling include: Buncetown, Bunceville, Leesburg and Pettytown.

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.

A Few Details for Sterling ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Sterling was established in 1873.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Sterling is located in Sanpete County.

To see how the shape of Utah's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sanpete County: Carbon, Emery, Juab, Millard, Sevier & Utah.

Below are the counties that are near Sterling. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sterling:

  • Sanpete County     (The home county of Sterling)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morrison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
      • Morrison is located in Sanpete County
    • Fort Manti ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Manti. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Manti
      • Fort Manti is located in Sanpete County
      • Former names for Fort Manti:
      • Little Stone Fort
      • Manti Log Fort
    • Manti
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manti
      • Manti is located in Sanpete County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,790 people
      • Former name for Manti:
      • Copenhagen
      • Manti has also been known as:
      • Manti City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manti <2>
    • Mayfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
      • Mayfield is located in Sanpete County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
      • Former names for Mayfield:
      • Cobblehaven
      • Frog Hollow
      • New London
      • Order
      • Skinny
      • Skunk
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayfield <2>
    • Fort Gunnison ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Gunnison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Gunnison
      • Fort Gunnison is located in Sanpete County
    • Gunnison
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunnison
      • Gunnison is located in Sanpete County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,675 people
      • Former name for Gunnison:
      • Hog Wallow
      • Gunnison has also been known as:
      • Gunnison City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gunnison <2>
    • Centerfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Fayette
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Dover ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
      • Dover is located in Sanpete County
    • Axtell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axtell
      • Axtell is located in Sanpete County
    • Clarion ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clarion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarion
      • Clarion is located in Sanpete County
    • Manasseh ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manasseh. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manasseh
      • Manasseh is located in Sanpete County
    • Ephraim
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ephraim
      • Ephraim is located in Sanpete County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,385 people
      • Former names for Ephraim:
      • Cottonwood
      • Fort Ephraim
      • Pine Creek
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ephraim <2>
  • Emery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Ferron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Emery
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Juab County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Levan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Levan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levan
      • Levan is located in Juab County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Levan <2>
    • Juab ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Juab have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juab
      • Juab is located in Juab County
    • Mills ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills
      • Mills is located in Juab County
      • Former names for Mills:
      • Suckertown
      • Wellingtno
  • Millard County
    • Scipio
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Sevier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.
    • Redmond
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redmond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redmond
      • Redmond is located in Sevier County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redmond <2>
    • Salina
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Aurora
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Vermillion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermillion
      • Vermillion is located in Sevier County
    • Sigurd
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sterling, see our County-by-County Page for Sterling.

Newspapers Published in Sterling ...

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 22 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sterling.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sterling, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sterling.

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 Sterling:

Cemeteries Near Sterling ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sterling.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sterling covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sterling had a population of 85 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Sterling had a population of 326 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Sterling, with the one closest to Sterling listed first.

  • Mayfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
    • Mayfield is located in Sanpete County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 564 people
    • Former names for Mayfield:
    • Cobblehaven
    • Frog Hollow
    • New London
    • Order
    • Skinny
    • Skunk
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mayfield <2>
  • Manti
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manti
    • Manti is located in Sanpete County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,790 people
    • Former name for Manti:
    • Copenhagen
    • Manti has also been known as:
    • Manti City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manti <2>
  • Gunnison
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunnison
    • Gunnison is located in Sanpete County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,675 people
    • Former name for Gunnison:
    • Hog Wallow
    • Gunnison has also been known as:
    • Gunnison City
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gunnison <2>
  • Fayette
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Dover ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dover. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
    • Dover is located in Sanpete County
  • Ephraim
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ephraim
    • Ephraim is located in Sanpete County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,385 people
    • Former names for Ephraim:
    • Cottonwood
    • Fort Ephraim
    • Pine Creek
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ephraim <2>
  • Redmond
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redmond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redmond
    • Redmond is located in Sevier County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 758 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redmond <2>
  • Salina
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Chester
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
    • Chester is located in Sanpete County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chester <2>
  • Wales
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Spring City
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Scipio
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Moroni
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Levan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Levan have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levan
      • Levan is located in Juab County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Levan <2>
    • Mills ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills
      • Mills is located in Juab County
      • Former names for Mills:
      • Suckertown
      • Wellingtno

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sterling. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sterling.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sterling. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Utah: https://www.utah.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sterling) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sterling. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1935, Longitude: -111.6925    
<5>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.
<6>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 Sterling, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024