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 Spring Lake (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 Spring Lake. 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 Spring Lake ...
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 Spring Lake: Spring Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Spring Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spring Lake.
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 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.
Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spring Lake:
- Sussex County (The home county of Spring Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Rehoboth Beach
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Dewey Beach
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bald Eagle Village
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bald Eagle Village is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Eagle Village
- Henlopen Acres
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Henlopen Acres is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henlopen Acres
- Population from the 2020 Census: 148 people
- Country Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Country Village is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- Massey Landing
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Massey Landing is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massey Landing
- Lewes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Nassau
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sand Dunes Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sand Dunes Village is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Dunes Village
- Long Neck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sea Farers Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sea Farers Village is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Farers Village
- Winding Creek Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sea Spray Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Sea Spray Village is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Spray Village
- Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Milford
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Woods Haven
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Woods Haven is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Haven
- Church Hill Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Church Hill Village is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill Village
- Houston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Williamsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Williamsville is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
- Farmington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bowers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bowers is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 380 people
- Frederica
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Harrington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wicomico County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- New Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Willards
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parsonsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Powellville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Powellville is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Worcester County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Bishopville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bishop
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Bishop is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Ocean Bay City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Ocean Bay City is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Bay City
- Ocean Pines
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- North Ocean City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- North Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ocean City
- Showell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Showell is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
- Whaleyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ocean City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- West Ocean City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- West Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City
- Berlin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Cape May County (NJ)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Cape May
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cape May is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cape May
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,404 people
- North Cape May
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- North Cape May is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cape May
- Cold Spring
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cold Spring is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Spring
- Diamond Beach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Diamond Beach is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond Beach
- Erma
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Erma is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erma
- Villas
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Villas is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villas
- Rio Grande
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rio Grande is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rio Grande
- Former name for Rio Grande:
- Crandol Town
- Rio Grande has also been known as:
- Hildreth
- Leamings
- Wildwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wildwood is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,916 people
- Del Haven
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Del Haven is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Del Haven
- Green Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Green Creek is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Creek
- Norburys Landing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Norburys Landing is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norburys Landing
- Grassy Sound
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Grassy Sound is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Sound
- North Wildwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Wildwood is located in Cape May County (NJ)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Wildwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,739 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Spring Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Spring Lake.
Cemeteries Near Spring Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spring Lake.
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 Spring Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Spring Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Midway Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Peoples Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel Methodist Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Baker Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- St. George Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. Georges Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Friendship Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Mission Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Whites Chapel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Harmony Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Harmony Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the south of Hollyville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #104375 <2>
- Continue List (101 more) ...
- Millsboro Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Holland Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Banks Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
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 Spring Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Spring Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Rehoboth Beach
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Midway
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Lewes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Nassau
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Trinity
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Trinity is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
- Hollyville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hollyville is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollyville
- Cool Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Cool Spring is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
- Warwick
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Warwick is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick
- Millville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Drawbridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Drawbridge is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drawbridge
- Harbeson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Ocean View
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Bennum
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Bennum is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennum
- Millsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dagsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Spring Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spring Lake.
Newspapers Published in Spring Lake ...
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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spring Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spring Lake, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spring Lake.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Spring Lake:
- Websites specific to Delaware
- Pages specific to Sussex County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Kent County
- Wicomico County
- Worcester County
- Cape May County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Delaware
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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Spring Lake) 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 Spring Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |