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 Finzel (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 Finzel. 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 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.
Finzel is located in Garrett 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 Garrett County: Allegany, Fayette (PA), Somerset (PA), Grant (WV), Mineral (WV) & Preston (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Finzel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Finzel:
- Garrett County (The home county of Finzel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Avilton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Avilton is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
- Grantsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bittinger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bloomington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bloomington is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Accident
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Swanton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- McHenry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Friendsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kitzmiller
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Altamont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Deer Park
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Schell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Schell is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Allegany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Mount Savage
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Zihlman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zihlman is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zihlman
- Frostburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Eckhart Mines
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Eckhart Mines is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckhart Mines
- Barrelville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barrelville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrelville
- Midlothian
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Midlothian is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midlothian
- Clarysville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Clarysville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarysville
- Borden Shaft
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
- Loarville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Loarville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loarville
- Klondike
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Klondike is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Ocean
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
- Woodland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Woodland is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Corriganville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Corriganville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriganville
- Bedford County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Stringtown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Stringtown is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Cooks Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Cooks Mills is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Mills
- Hyndman
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Beans Cove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Beans Cove is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Cove
- Kegg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kegg is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
- Rainsburg
(25 miles [40.2 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
- Manns Choice
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Schellsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charlesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Charlesville is located in Bedford County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Bedford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- New Paris
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fayette County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Markleysburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Seven Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ohiopyle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Somerset County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Wittenberg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wittenberg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Wellersburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wellersburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Callimont
(6 miles [9.7 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
- Glade City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Glade City is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade City
- Boynton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Boynton is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
- Salisbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Coal Run
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Run is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
- Meyersdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- West Meyersdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- West Meyersdale is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Meyersdale
- West Salisbury
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- West Salisbury is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
- Hays Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Hays Mill is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays Mill
- Summit Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Summit Mills is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Mills
- Fairhope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hampshire County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Donaldson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Donaldson is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
- Springfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ritters
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ritters is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
- Wapocomo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
- Okonoko
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Okonoko is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okonoko
- Vance
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Vance is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Points
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Points is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
- Three Churches
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Three Churches is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Churches
- Romney
(27 miles [43.5 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>
- Junction
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Junction is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction
- Higginsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Higginsville is located in Hampshire County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
- Mineral County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Carpendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Carpendale is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
- Ridgeley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wiley Ford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Short Gap
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Short Gap is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Gap
- Piedmont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Fort Ashby
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Keyser
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Windom ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Windom is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Headsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Headsville is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
- Shaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- New Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Elk Garden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burlington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Morgan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Paw Paw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hansrote
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hansrote is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
- Magnolia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Magnolia is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Doe Gully
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Doe Gully is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
- Orleans Cross Roads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Finzel, see our County-by-County Page for Finzel.
Cemeteries Near Finzel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Finzel.
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 Finzel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Finzel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Finzel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Emmanuel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Percy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Old Coney Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blocher Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Frostburg Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Rose Meadow Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Merrbach Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Loar Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- St. Anns Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (243 more) ...
- Warner Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Restlawn Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<5>
While we didn't find Finzel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Finzel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Finzel, with the one closest to Finzel listed first.
- Pocahontas
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pocahontas is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
- Morantown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Morantown is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morantown
- Mount Savage
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Frostburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Eckhart Mines
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Eckhart Mines is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eckhart Mines
- Wittenberg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wittenberg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
- Sand Patch
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sand Patch is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Patch
- Clarysville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Clarysville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarysville
- Barrelville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Barrelville is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrelville
- Wellersburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wellersburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
- Avilton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Avilton is located in Garrett County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
- Carlos
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Carlos is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlos
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Borden Shaft
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Borden Shaft is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Shaft
- Vale Summit
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Vale Summit is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale Summit
- Ocean
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Finzel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Finzel.
Newspapers Published in Finzel ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Finzel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Finzel, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Finzel.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Finzel:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Garrett County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Allegany County
- Bedford County
- Fayette County
- Somerset County
- Hampshire 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 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Finzel) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Finzel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |