About this site. Here is some of the history of Rural Valley and nearby areas in and around Cowanshannock Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania that I've gathered up along the way.

The site started out presenting research about my family, but its focus now is on the history and people of the area. It is a work in progress with much more to be added.

Submissions are very welcome! I am grateful to the people who have contributed content to this site. Special thanks go to Linda Repine for donating items from the estate of Mary Elizabeth Caylor, and to Chuck Colton for scanning his family's collection of old photographs and memorabilia, and also for seeking out other resources to add to the site.

How to find what you're looking for:

• Browsing: use the menu to see the major topics and their subtopics. (If you're on a mobile device, the menu will be at the bottom of this page.)
• Searching: use the search box at the top of the menu. Here are some search tips:
  • enter a surname, e.g. Casedy, or perhaps a first name and surname, e.g. Samuel Casedy.
  • enter a town name:
    • if the town's name is a single word, e.g. Sagamore or Yatesboro, just enter it.
    • if searching for Rural Valley, use quotes, e.g. "Rural Valley".
    • if searching for NuMine, copy (NuMine OR "Nu Mine") and paste it into the search box. Be sure to include the parentheses.

If you are researching genealogy, check out the obituary collection and the Rural Valley/Cowanshannock family tree.

What's New?

• June, 2024: Added pictures of the Chobody and Kormos families, donated by Cece Chobody.
• August, 2023: Added Boyer family pictures, donated by Jeff Boyer.
• March, 2023: Added Pvt. Thomas Hosick's letters home, written in 1864, donated by Neal Burgner ("Memorabilia" tab). Added miscellaneous pictures donated by Dorothy Ridenour.
• February, 2023: Uploaded the latest version of the Rural Valley/Cowanshannock family tree, which now has 11,114 people. Updated the obituary collection. Added the Gourley family album ("Pictures of Peoples" tab). Most of its pictures were donated by Neal Burgner, whose donations appear in other albums as well.

Most Wanted!

• Historical pictures are always welcome. It would be great to have more pictures of mines, miners, athletes and sports teams.
• Do you have any copies of the old Rural Valley Advance up in the attic? Maybe we can figure out a way to scan them for posterity. Update - a collection of over 300 RV Advances has been found!
• Family records sections from old family Bibles.