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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 Bethany Beach (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 Bethany Beach. 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 Bethany Beach ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bethany Beach: Bethany Bch.

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

Bethany Beach is located in Sussex County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Sussex County: Kent, Caroline (MD), Dorchester (MD), Wicomico (MD), Worcester (MD) & Cape May (NJ).

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

  • Sussex County     (The home county of Bethany Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany Beach, with the one closest to Bethany Beach listed first.
    • Bethany Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethany Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany Village
      • Bethany Village is located in Sussex County
    • Ocean Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Village
      • Ocean Village is located in Sussex County
    • South Bethany
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Bethany have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Bethany
      • South Bethany is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 546 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Bethany <2>
    • Ocean View
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean View
      • Ocean View is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,245 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean View <2>
    • Millville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
      • Millville is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millville <2>
    • Bayard
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
      • Bayard is located in Sussex County
    • Boyers Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyers Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyers Village
      • Boyers Village is located in Sussex County
    • Bayville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
      • Bayville is located in Sussex County
    • Fenwick Island
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fenwick Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fenwick Island
      • Fenwick Island is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 459 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fenwick Island <2>
    • Blackwater Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackwater Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwater Village
      • Blackwater Village is located in Sussex County
    • Massey Landing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massey Landing
      • Massey Landing is located in Sussex County
    • Roxana
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roxana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
      • Roxana is located in Sussex County
    • Long Neck
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Neck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Neck
      • Long Neck is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Neck <2>
  • Wicomico County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany Beach, with the one closest to Bethany Beach listed first.
    • New Hope
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
      • New Hope is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Willards
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willards
      • Willards is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,012 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willards <2>
    • Pittsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
      • Pittsville is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,476 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pittsville <2>
    • Powellville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
      • Powellville is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Parsonsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parsonsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsonsburg
      • Parsonsburg is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parsonsburg <2>
    • Whiton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
      • Whiton is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • White Plains
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
      • White Plains is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Delmar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmar
      • Delmar is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,596 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmar <2>
    • Salisbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salisbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Salisbury is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salisbury <2>
  • Worcester County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany Beach, with the one closest to Bethany Beach listed first.
    • Ocean Bay City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Bay City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Bay City
      • Ocean Bay City is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Bishopville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • North Ocean City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Ocean City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ocean City
      • North Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Bishop
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Ocean Pines
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Showell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
      • Showell is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Ocean City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • West Ocean City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Ocean City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City
      • West Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Berlin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berlin <2>
    • Whaleyville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whaleyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaleyville
      • Whaleyville is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whaleyville <2>
    • Newark
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedartown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedartown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
      • Cedartown is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Snow Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
      • Snow Hill is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Hill <2>
  • Cape May County (NJ)
    • Cape May
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape May
      • Cape May is located in Cape May County (NJ)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,404 people

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

Newspapers Published in Bethany Beach ...

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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethany Beach.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Bethany Beach:

Cemeteries Near Bethany Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethany Beach.

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 Bethany Beach covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Ocean View Presbyterian Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ocean View Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocean View Presbyterian Cemetery
  • Banks Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Banks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Banks Cemetery
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Georges Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Georges Cemetery
  • Daisey Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Wilgus Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilgus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilgus Cemetery
  • St. Martins Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Martins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Martins Cemetery
  • Baker Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Carey Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Long Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Cemetery
  • Bishopville Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bishopville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bishopville Cemetery
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friendship Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friendship Cemetery
  • Redman Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Redman Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Dagsboro.
    • The Redman Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Millsboro Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Redman Cemetery
  • Continue List   (96 more) ...
    • Red Men Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Men Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Men Cemetery
    • Golden Acres Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Golden Acres Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Golden Acres Cemetery
    • Millsboro Seventh Day Adventist Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Millsboro Seventh Day Adventist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Millsboro Seventh Day Adventist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Millsboro Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Millsboro Seventh Day Adventist Church Cemetery

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.<4>

While we didn't find Bethany Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethany Beach.

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

  • Ocean View
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean View
    • Ocean View is located in Sussex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,245 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean View <2>
  • Millville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
    • Millville is located in Sussex County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 652 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Millville <2>
  • Bayard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
    • Bayard is located in Sussex County
  • Bayville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
    • Bayville is located in Sussex County
  • Roxana
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roxana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
    • Roxana is located in Sussex County
  • Williamsville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
    • Williamsville is located in Sussex County
  • Bunting
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bunting have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunting
    • Bunting is located in Sussex County
  • Omar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Omar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omar
    • Omar is located in Sussex County
  • Trinity
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trinity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
    • Trinity is located in Sussex County
  • Bishopville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Warwick
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick
    • Warwick is located in Sussex County
  • Dagsboro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Frankford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frankford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankford
      • Frankford is located in Sussex County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,020 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frankford <2>
    • Selbyville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bishop
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bishop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in Worcester County (MD)

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

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

The official website for Sussex County: www.sussexcounty.net/

The official website for State of Delaware: https://delaware.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 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.
<4>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 Bethany Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024