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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 Catonsville (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 Catonsville. 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 hospitals and 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.

Catonsville is located in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County: Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford, Howard & York (PA).

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

  • Baltimore County     (The home county of Catonsville)
  • Anne Arundel County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Patapsco
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dorsey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Dorsey is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
    • Brooklyn Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Linthicum Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Linthicum
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Linthicum is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linthicum
    • Pumphrey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Pumphrey is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumphrey
    • Arundel Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Arundel Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel Village
    • Ferndale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Harmans
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Harmans is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmans
    • Jessup
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lake Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Lake Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Cohansey Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cohansey Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohansey Village
    • Glen Burnie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Baltimore City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Beechfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Oaklee Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Oaklee Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklee Village
    • Violetville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Carroll
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Carroll is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Edmondson Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Edmondson Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmondson Village
    • Gwynn Oak
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Baltimore
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Old Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Old Town is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Colonial Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Hampden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodberry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodberry is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodberry
    • Brooklyn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Brooklyn is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Charles Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
  • Carroll County
  • Frederick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Mount Airy Village West
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Sams Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sams Creek is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Creek
    • Smith Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Smith Village is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
    • Oak Orchard
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Unionville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Unionville is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
    • Bartholows
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Monrovia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • New London
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • New Market
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Green Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Green Valley is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
  • Harford County
  • Howard County
  • Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Rock Hall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Edesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Blackburn Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Blackburn Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn Village
    • Burtonsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Brinklow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Brinklow is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinklow
    • Brighton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Ashton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sandy Spring
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Spencerville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Spencerville is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencerville
    • Cloverly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Cloverly is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverly
    • Fairland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Norwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Brookeville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Unity
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bonifant Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Bonifant Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonifant Village
  • Prince George's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Laurel
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • West Laurel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • West Laurel is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Laurel
    • South Laurel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • South Laurel is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Laurel
    • Beltsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Boxwood Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Boxwood Village is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxwood Village
    • Collington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Glenn Dale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Goddard
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Goddard is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goddard
    • Greenbelt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenbelt is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbelt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenbelt <1>
    • Berwyn Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Berwyn Heights is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,249 people
    • Berwyn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Berwyn is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn
    • Bowie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Adelphi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Queen Anne's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville listed first.
    • Bay City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bay City is located in Queen Anne's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • Stevensville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Catonsville ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Catonsville.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Catonsville, with the one closest to Catonsville 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Catonsville had a population of 2,115 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Bloomsbury
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Bloomsbury is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomsbury
  • Paradise
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Paradise is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
  • Ilchester
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Ilchester is located in Howard County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilchester
  • Arbutus
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Beechfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Franklintown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Oella
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Oella is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oella
  • Saint Denis
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Denis is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Denis
  • Winans ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Winans is located in Baltimore County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winans
  • Halethorpe
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Carroll
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Carroll is located in Baltimore City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
  • Calverton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Calverton is located in Baltimore City
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calverton
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Catonsville ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Catonsville.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Catonsville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Catonsville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Catonsville.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<5> of Catonsville.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Catonsville:

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>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.
<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 Catonsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Catonsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.