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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 Sandy Fork (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 Sandy Fork. 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 Sandy Fork ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sandy Fork: Sandy Frk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sandy Fork. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sandy Fork.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Sandy Fork is located in Sussex County.

To see how the shape of Delaware's counties may 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 Sandy Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sandy Fork:

  • Sussex County     (The home county of Sandy Fork)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Laurel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Bethel
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Ward
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Ward is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Blades
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Blades is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blades
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Seaford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Delmar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Heritage Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Heritage Village is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Ross
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Ross is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Mission
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Mission is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
    • Reliance
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Reliance is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
    • Briar Hook
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Briar Hook is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Hook
    • Georgetown
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Adamsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Adamsville is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamsville
    • Andrewsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Andrewsville is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrewsville
    • Farmington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hickman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickman is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
    • Williamsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Williamsville is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
    • Vernon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Vernon is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernon
    • Harrington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Houston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Milford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Brownsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Brownsville is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
    • Church Hill Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Church Hill Village is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill Village
    • Woods Haven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Woods Haven is located in Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Haven
  • Caroline County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Federalsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hynson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hynson is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynson
    • Hickman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hickman is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
    • Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Grove is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
    • Preston
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Preston is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 700 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Preston <1>
    • Bethlehem
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bethlehem is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Denton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Denton is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,538 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denton <1>
    • Tanyard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Tanyard is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tanyard
    • Tuckahoe Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Tuckahoe Springs is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe Springs
    • Oil City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Oil City is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oil City
    • Whiteleysburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Whiteleysburg is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteleysburg
    • Griffin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffin is located in Caroline County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffin
  • Dorchester County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Galestown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Galestown is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galestown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Reliance
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Reliance is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
    • Walnut Landing
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Walnut Landing is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Landing
    • Finchville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Finchville is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchville
    • Brookview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Brookview is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
    • Eldorado
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Eldorado is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Marshyhope Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Marshyhope Village is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshyhope Village
    • Rabbit Town
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Rabbit Town is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
    • Rhodesdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Vienna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Vienna is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 264 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vienna <1>
    • Williamsburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Williamsburg is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Hurlock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Hurlock is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurlock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,007 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurlock <1>
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Eden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Eden is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Loretto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Loretto is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
    • Princess Anne
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Mount Vernon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Vernon is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
    • Monie
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Monie is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monie
    • Oriole
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Oriole is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oriole
    • Somersett Town ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Somersett Town is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
  • Talbot County (MD)
    • Trappe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Trappe is located in Talbot County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trappe
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,000 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trappe <1>
  • Wicomico County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Delmar
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Delmar is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,596 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmar <1>
    • Sharptown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Sharptown is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharptown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 664 people
    • Parsonsburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • White Plains
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • White Plains is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • Pittsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Hurst Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Hurst Village is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hurst Village
    • Hebron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hebron is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,096 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hebron <1>
    • Salisbury
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Salisbury is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 33,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salisbury <1>
    • Mardela Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Mardela Springs is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mardela Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 351 people
    • Rockawalking Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Rockawalking Village is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockawalking Village
    • Willards
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Willards is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willards
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,012 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willards <1>
    • Centennial Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Centennial Village is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial Village
  • Worcester County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Fork, with the one closest to Sandy Fork listed first.
    • Whaleyville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bishop
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Bishopville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Showell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Showell is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
    • Berlin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berlin <1>
    • Ocean Pines
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Newark
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ocean Bay City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Ocean Bay City is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Bay City
    • Snow Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Snow Hill is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Hill <1>
    • Cedartown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedartown is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
    • North Ocean City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • North Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ocean City
    • West Ocean City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • West Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City

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

Cemeteries Near Sandy Fork ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sandy Fork.

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 Sandy Fork - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • New Mt. Zion Methodist Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Laurel Hill Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Laurel.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104388 <2>
  • Odd Fellows Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Odd Fellows Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Laurel.
  • Smith Mills Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Mills Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Smith Mills Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the northeast of Delmar.
    • The Smith Mills Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Little Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2375541 <2>
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Asbury Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Concord Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Oliphant Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Thomas Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Blades Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ralphs Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (223 more) ...
    • St. Stephens Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Nichols Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Macedonia Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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 Sandy Fork in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sandy Fork.

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

  • Laurel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Sycamore
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sycamore is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
  • Broad Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Broad Creek is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broad Creek
  • Bethel
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Ward
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Ward is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
  • Concord
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Concord is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
  • Delmar
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Lowes Crossroads
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Lowes Crossroads is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowes Crossroads
  • Seaford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodland is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
  • Columbia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Columbia is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia
  • Middleford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Middleford is located in Sussex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleford
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Whitesville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Whitesville is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitesville
    • Shortly
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Shortly is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shortly
    • Ross
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Ross is located in Sussex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross

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

Newspapers Published in Sandy Fork ...

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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sandy Fork.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sandy Fork, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sandy Fork.

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 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 Sandy Fork:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sandy Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Sandy Fork, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.