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 Bessen Landing (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 Bessen Landing. 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 Bessen Landing ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Bessen Landing: Bessen Lndg. (or less commonly used: Bessen Lndng.)
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 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.
Bessen Landing is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Sussex (DE), Somerset, Wicomico & Accomack (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Bessen Landing. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bessen Landing:
- Worcester County (The home county of Bessen Landing)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- Stockton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Girdletree
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Snow Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Pocomoke City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,095 people
- Former names for Pocomoke City:
- New Town
- Stevens Landing
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocomoke City <1>
- Cedartown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Cedartown is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
- Newark
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Berlin
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Whaleyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- West Ocean City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- West Ocean City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City
- Showell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Showell is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
- Ocean City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ocean Pines
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- West Pocomoke
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
- Costen
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Costen is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
- Rehobeth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kingston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Kingston is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Westover
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Tulls Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Tulls Corner is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulls Corner
- Princess Anne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Annemessix Towne ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Annemessix Towne is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annemessix Towne
- Manokin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Manokin is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manokin
- Somersett Town ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Somersett Town is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
- Eden
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Eden is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Loretto
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Loretto is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
- Wicomico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- Whiton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Whiton is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
- Powellville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Powellville is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Allen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Allen is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Fruitland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- New Hope
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- New Hope is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Parsonsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Pittsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- White Plains
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- White Plains is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Willards
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Dogwood Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dogwood Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Village
- Salisbury
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Twiggs Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Twiggs Corner is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twiggs Corner
- Accomack County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- Franklin City
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sinnickson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Sign Post
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sign Post is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
- Chincoteague
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chincoteague is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chincoteague
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,866 people
- Birch Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Birch Town is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Town
- Wattsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Atlantic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Withams
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Withams is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withams
- Temperanceville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Groton Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Groton Town is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton Town
- Hallwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hallwood is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bessen Landing, see our County-by-County Page for Bessen Landing.
Cemeteries Near Bessen Landing ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bessen Landing.
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 Bessen Landing - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bessen Landing covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- Union Franklin City Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Union Greenbackville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Portersville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Gunby Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wesley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Church Street Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Remson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Red Mens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Hancock Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (116 more) ...
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mechanics Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
While we didn't find Bessen Landing in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bessen Landing.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bessen Landing, with the one closest to Bessen Landing listed first.
- Greenbackville
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Franklin City
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Stockton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sinnickson
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Welbourne
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Welbourne is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welbourne
- Horntown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Girdletree
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Boxiron
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Boxiron is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxiron
- Goodwill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Goodwill is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
- Scarboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Scarboro is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
- New Church
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Wattsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Atlantic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Snow Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Corbin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Corbin is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbin
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bessen Landing. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bessen Landing.
Newspapers Published in Bessen Landing ...
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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bessen Landing.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bessen Landing, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bessen Landing.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Bessen Landing:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Worcester County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Somerset County
- Wicomico County
- Accomack 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 Bessen Landing, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bessen Landing) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |