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 Fern Valley (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 Fern Valley. 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 Fern Valley ...
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 Fern Valley: Fern Vly. (or less commonly used: Fern Vally. or Fern Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fern Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fern Valley.
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 doctors and 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.
Fern Valley 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 Fern Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fern Valley:
- Baltimore County (The home county of Fern Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- White Hall
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Monkton
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Stablersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Glencoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shane
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Parkton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Trump
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Trump is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trump
- Walker
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Phoenix
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Phoenix is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenix
- Belfast
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Belfast is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
- Yeoho
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Yeoho is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeoho
- Butler
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Butler is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Anne Arundel County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Brooklyn Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Arundel Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Arundel Village is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel Village
- Pumphrey
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Pumphrey is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumphrey
- Linthicum Heights
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Linthicum
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Linthicum is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linthicum
- Patapsco
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Patapsco is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patapsco
- Ferndale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Dorsey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dorsey is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
- Glen Burnie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Riviera Beach
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Riviera Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riviera Beach
- Baltimore City
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Homeland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Homeland is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Colonial Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Colonial Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Lauraville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Lauraville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauraville
- Anthonyville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Anthonyville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthonyville
- Gardenville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Gardenville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
- Guilford
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Guilford is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Hampden
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Waverly
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Waverly is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Woodberry
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Woodberry is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodberry
- Charles Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
- Gwynn Oak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Baltimore
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Roller
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Roller is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Young Mans Fancy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Rockbrook Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Hampstead
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Lineboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Berrywood Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Berrywood Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrywood Village
- Manchester
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Reeds Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Finksburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Carrollton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Carrollton is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Sandyville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sandyville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
- Yorkland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Yorkland is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkland
- Cecil County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Bald Friar is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Oakwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Conowingo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rowlandsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rowlandsville is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlandsville
- Rock Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rock Run is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run
- Rock Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Liberty Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Liberty Grove is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Grove
- Port Deposit
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Colora
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Frenchtown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Frenchtown is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
- Perry Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Perry Point is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Point
- Perryville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Frederick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Sams Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sams Creek is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Creek
- Oak Orchard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Orchard is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Orchard
- Harford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Shawsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Hess
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Hess is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
- Jarrettsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Federal Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Putnam Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Putnam Village is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Village
- Upper Crossroads
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Upper Crossroads is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Crossroads
- Coopstown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Coopstown is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopstown
- Sharon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Forest Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Amoss
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Amoss is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amoss
- Fallston
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harford Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Harford Village is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harford Village
- Howard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Marriottsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Woodstock
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Linwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marydell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marydell is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydell
- Ilchester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ilchester is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilchester
- Alpha
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Alpha is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
- Ellicott City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Johns Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Johns Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns Village
- Font Hill Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Font Hill Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Font Hill Village
- Elkridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lawyers Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lawyers Hill is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers Hill
- Columbia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Montgomery County
- High Point Estates
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- High Point Estates is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Point Estates
- Adams County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- McSherrystown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Midway
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Edgegrove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Littlestown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Abbottstown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kingsdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Kingsdale is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsdale
- Whitehall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Whitehall is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
- East Berlin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- New Oxford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lancaster County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Benton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Benton is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- McSparran
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- McSparran is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McSparran
- Colemanville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Colemanville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colemanville
- Furniss
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Furniss is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furniss
- Mount Nebo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Nebo is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
- Highville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Highville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highville
- Creswell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Creswell is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Letort
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Letort is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letort
- Buck
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Buck is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
- Conestoga
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rockhill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rockhill is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockhill
- Truce
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Truce is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truce
- York County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Wiley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Wiley is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
- Draco
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Draco is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- New Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Orwig
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Orwig is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orwig
- Tolna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Tolna is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolna
- Fawn Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shrewsbury
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- New Freedom
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stewartstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Railroad
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rinely
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Rinely is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rinely
- Glen Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fern Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Fern Valley.
Cemeteries Near Fern Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fern Valley.
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 Fern Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fern Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Wiseburg Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- McKendree Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Salem Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Good Will Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Highview Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jarrettsville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Upper Crossroads Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Old Brick Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Moores Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (415 more) ...
- North Harford Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- St. James Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Providence Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Fern Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fern Valley.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fern Valley, with the one closest to Fern Valley listed first.
- Blue Mount
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Blue Mount is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mount
- Monkton
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- White Hall
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Corbett
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Corbett is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbett
- Hereford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hereford is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
- Stablersville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Verona
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Verona is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verona
- Glencoe
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Manor
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Manor is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
- Blackhorse
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Blackhorse is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhorse
- Shawsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Madonna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Madonna is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madonna
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Shane
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Parkton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Evna
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Evna is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evna
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fern Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fern Valley.
Newspapers Published in Fern Valley ...
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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fern Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fern Valley, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fern Valley.
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 Fern Valley:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Baltimore County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anne Arundel County
- Baltimore City
- Carroll County
- Cecil County
- Frederick County
- Harford County
- Howard County
- Montgomery County
- Adams County
- Lancaster County
- York 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 Fern Valley, 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- Fern Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |