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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 Brandywine (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 Brandywine. 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 northwest 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 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.

Brandywine is located in Prince George's 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 Prince George's County: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Alexandria City (VA) & Fairfax (VA).

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

  • Prince George's County     (The home county of Brandywine)
  • Anne Arundel County
  • Calvert County
  • Charles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Mattawoman
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Mattawoman is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawoman
    • Acton Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Acton Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton Village
    • White Oak Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • White Oak Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak Village
    • Waldorf
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Huntington Townhouses
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Malcolm
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Westlake Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Westlake Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Village
    • Saint Charles
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Charles is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Charles
    • White Plains
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bryantown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • White Plains Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • White Plains Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains Village
    • Bennsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bennsville is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennsville
    • Freedom Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Freedom Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Leishear Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Leishear Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leishear Village
    • North Laurel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • North Laurel is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Laurel
    • Savage
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Takoma Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Clifton Park Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Clifton Park Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Park Village
    • Brookmont
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Brookmont is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookmont
    • Chevy Chase Section Three
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Chevy Chase Section Three is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Three
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 794 people
    • Chevy Chase Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Chevy Chase Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,050 people
    • Martin's Additions
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Martin's Additions is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin's Additions
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
    • Silver Spring
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Somerset
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Somerset is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
    • Hillandale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Hillandale is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillandale
    • Indian Spring Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Indian Spring Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Spring Village
    • Bethesda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Chevy Chase Section Five
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Chevy Chase Section Five is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Five
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
    • Chevy Chase
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Queen Anne's County
  • Saint Mary's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Charlotte Hall
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Golden Beach
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Golden Beach is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Beach
    • Mechanicsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Budds Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Helen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Helen is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
    • Chaptico
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Morganza
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Summerseat Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Summerseat Village is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerseat Village
    • Loveville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Loveville is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveville
    • Hurry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Clements
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Bushwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Sotterley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Talbot County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Tilghman Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Tilghman Island is located in Talbot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilghman Island
    • Tilghman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Tilghman is located in Talbot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilghman
    • Sherwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Neavitt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Neavitt is located in Talbot County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neavitt
    • Wittman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Alexandria City (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Alexandria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Arlandria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Chinquapin Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chinquapin Village is located in Alexandria City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinquapin Village
    • Oakcrest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Warwick Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Warwick Village is located in Alexandria City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick Village
  • Arlington County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Arlington Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Arlington Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Village
    • Arlington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Brandon Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Brandon Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Buckingham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Colonial Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Cherrydale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Lyon Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lyon Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Village
    • Riverwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Garden City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden City is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Williamsburg Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Williamsburg Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Village
  • Fairfax City (VA)
  • Fairfax County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Fort Hunt
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Fort Hunt is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hunt
    • Belle Haven
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Huntington
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Huntington is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
    • Groveton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Groveton is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveton
    • Hybla Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Hybla Valley is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hybla Valley
    • Burgundy Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Burgundy Village is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgundy Village
    • Penn Daw Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Penn Daw Village is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Daw Village
    • Mount Vernon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Rose Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Rose Hill is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
    • Lincolnia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincolnia is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnia
    • Franconia
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Baileys Crossroads
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Newington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Falls Church City (VA)
  • King George County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brandywine, with the one closest to Brandywine listed first.
    • Hooes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dahlgren
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Hampstead
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Somerset Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Somerset Beach is located in King George County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Beach
  • Prince William County (VA)

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

Cemeteries Near Brandywine ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brandywine.

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 Brandywine - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Brandywine had a population of 63 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Brandywine ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brandywine.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brandywine, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brandywine.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Brandywine:

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 Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Brandywine) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<5>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 Brandywine, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.