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From: "Brian L. Cartwright" <>
Subject: Re: Township
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 16:43:29 -0500


>Isn't there a township called Lower Yoder in Somerset? If so I have not
>seen anything on it, or have I just missed it? Thanks for your knowledge.

Mary - since this is far from the first time I've answered some of your
"where is" questions, I'll let you know I grew up in Johnstown, have been
making maps since I was a kid (but now they pay me big bucks for it!), and
have USGS maps of Johnstown and a Johnstown phone book next to my computer
at home. Did a paper in cartography class in college (complete with the
maps) of the formation of boroughs and townships in Cambria Co, from 1804 to
present.

That said, Lower Yoder Twp is in Cambria Co. It was originally part of Yoder
Twp, since split into Upper and Lower. This is the SW corner of Cambria Co,
to the west of Johnstown, bounded on the west by Westmoreland Co and the
south by Conemaugh Twp in Somerset Co. The area was first settled by Yoders,
thus the name. Upper Yoder contains the highland area, Lower Yoder is
downstream, on lower ground. Originally Yoder Twp, which was formed from
Conemaugh Twp, Cambria Co, was all the area west of the Conemaugh and
Stonycreek rivers. Many sections were taken for the formation of the then
borough of Johnstown, and the boroughs of Cambria City, Morrellville, and
Sheridan Station (now Oakhurst), all incorporated into the new City of
Johnstown in the 1890's. Former sections of Upper Yoder would include the
boroughs of Southmont, Westmont, Brownstown, Ferndale (settled by the
Vickroys) and Roxbury and the 8th Ward in Johnstown.The inhabited portion of
Lower Yoder of the 1890's, and to this day, consists of about a half-mile
strip of spillover of development outisde the city limts of Johnstown. There
are several cemeteries in this area, all the names begin with "Saint",
assumed to all be Catholic, and predominately central and eastern European
(1890-1910 immigrants) such as Poland and Slovakia. After WW2 an area on the
hilltop adjacent to the borough of Westmont was developed as a "GI bill"
suburban community, this area is called Westwood. Residents of Lower Yoder
attend the Greater Johnstown Area schools.

Brian Cartwrig

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