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 Bel Air (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 Bel Air. 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.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Bel Air is located in Allegany County.
To see how the shape of Maryland's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Allegany County: Garrett, Washington, Bedford (PA), Fulton (PA), Somerset (PA), Hampshire (WV), Mineral (WV) & Morgan (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Bel Air. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bel Air:
- Allegany County (The home county of Bel Air)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Pinto
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pinto is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinto
- Cresaptown
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Frost ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Frost is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Brady
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brady is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
- Rawlings
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Cliff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Cliff is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Cliff
- Loarville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Loarville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loarville
- La Vale
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Borden Shaft
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
- Clarysville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarysville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarysville
- Gilmore
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gilmore is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Midland
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Midland is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Ocean
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
- Garrett County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Avilton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Avilton is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
- Bloomington
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomington is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Grantsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bittinger
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Kitzmiller
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Swanton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Altamont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Accident
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Schell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Schell is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- McHenry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Deer Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Loch Lynn Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Loch Lynn Heights is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lynn Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
- Friendsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Washington County
- Pearre
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Pearre is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
- Bedford County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Stringtown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Stringtown is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Cooks Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cooks Mills is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Mills
- Hyndman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Beans Cove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Beans Cove is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Cove
- Rainsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rainsburg is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
- Kegg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kegg is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
- Purcell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Purcell is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
- Somerset County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Wellersburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Wellersburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Wittenberg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wittenberg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Callimont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Callimont is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callimont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
- Boynton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Boynton is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
- Salisbury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fairhope
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Coal Run
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Run is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
- Glade City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Glade City is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade City
- West Salisbury
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- West Salisbury is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
- Meyersdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- West Meyersdale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- West Meyersdale is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Meyersdale
- Hays Mill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Hays Mill is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays Mill
- Johnsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Frederick County (VA)
- Good
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Good is located in Frederick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good
- Grant County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Medley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Greenland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Greenland is located in Grant County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
- Hampshire County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Donaldson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Donaldson is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Springfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ritters
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ritters is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
- Wapocomo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
- Vance
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vance is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Points
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Points is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
- Three Churches
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Three Churches is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Churches
- Romney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Romney is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,680 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Romney <1>
- Okonoko
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Okonoko is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okonoko
- Junction
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Junction is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction
- Higginsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Higginsville is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
- Augusta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Slanesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Slanesville is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slanesville
- Hardy County (WV)
- Inkerman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Inkerman is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inkerman
- Mineral County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Short Gap
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Short Gap is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Gap
- Carpendale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Carpendale is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
- Wiley Ford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ridgeley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Ashby
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Keyser
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Headsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Headsville is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
- Piedmont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Windom ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Burlington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- New Creek
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Shaw
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Elk Garden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Paw Paw
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Magnolia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Magnolia is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Hansrote
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hansrote is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
- Doe Gully
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
- Orleans Cross Roads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
- Woodmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Woodmont is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bel Air, see our County-by-County Page for Bel Air.
Cemeteries Near Bel Air ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bel Air.
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 Bel Air - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bel Air covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Cecil Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Lease Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Ilechiter Monnett Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Neff Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hutson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Long Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abe Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Warner Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dayton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Culp Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Loar Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Waxler Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (234 more) ...
- Inkeep Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Meadow Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Van Meter Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Bel Air in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bel Air.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bel Air, with the one closest to Bel Air listed first.
- Pinto
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pinto is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinto
- Cresaptown
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Rawlings
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bier
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bier is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bier
- Seymour
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Seymour is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
- Brady
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brady is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
- Vale Summit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Vale Summit is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale Summit
- Clarysville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Clarysville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarysville
- Borden Shaft
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
- Ocean
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
- Midland
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Midland is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Black Oak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Black Oak is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Oak
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Patterson Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Patterson Creek is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Creek
- Eckhart Mines
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Eckhart Mines is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckhart Mines
- Ridgeley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bel Air. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bel Air.
Newspapers Published in Bel Air ...
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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bel Air.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bel Air, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bel Air.
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 Bel Air:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Allegany County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Garrett County
- Washington County
- Bedford County
- Somerset County
- Frederick County
- Grant County
- Hampshire County
- Hardy County
- Mineral County
- Morgan County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Maryland
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> | 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 Bel Air, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bel Air) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |