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Home >> State of Maryland >> Washington County >> Forest Hills >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Forest Hills (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 Forest Hills. 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 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.

Forest Hills is located in Washington 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 Washington County: Allegany, Frederick, Franklin (PA), Fulton (PA), Loudoun (VA), Berkeley (WV), Jefferson (WV) & Morgan (WV).

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

  • Washington County     (The home county of Forest Hills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Long Meadow
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Long Meadow is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Meadow
    • Fountainhead - Orchard Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Paramount - Long Meadow
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Maugansville
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Hagerstown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Hagerstown is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,918 people
      • Former name for Hagerstown:
      • Hager's Town
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hagerstown <1>
    • Bridgeport
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Bridgeport is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
    • Woodcrest Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Woodcrest Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodcrest Village
    • Robinwood
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Robinwood is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinwood
    • Halfway
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Halfway is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
    • Huyett
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Huyett is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
    • Funkstown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Chewsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Chewsville is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
  • Carroll County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Keysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Keysville is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Bruceville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Bruceville is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville
    • Keymar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Crabster ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Crabster is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabster
    • Harney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Harney is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
    • Fairground Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Fairground Village is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairground Village
    • Taneytown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Union Bridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Bark Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Bark Hill is located in Carroll County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bark Hill
  • Frederick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Pleasant Walk
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pleasant Walk is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Walk
    • Sabillasville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Myersville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Frostown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Frostown is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frostown
    • Thurmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Bolivar
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bolivar is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
    • Catoctin Furnace
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
    • Jimtown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jimtown is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
    • Mountaindale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Mountaindale is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
    • Middletown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Yellow Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Yellow Springs is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Springs
    • Burkittsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Adams County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Jacks Mountain
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
    • Carroll Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Zora
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Zora is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
    • Fairfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Virginia Mills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Virginia Mills is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
    • Orrtanna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cashtown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cashtown is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashtown
    • McKnightstown Station
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • McKnightstown Station is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKnightstown Station
    • Trust
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Trust is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
    • Greenmount
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Greenmount is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
    • Cashtown - McKnightstown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Seven Stars
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Seven Stars is located in Adams County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Stars
  • Cumberland County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Shippensburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Lees Cross Roads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lees Cross Roads is located in Cumberland County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Cross Roads
  • Franklin County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Wingerton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wingerton is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingerton
    • Milnor
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Milnor is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milnor
    • Shady Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Shady Grove is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
    • Greencastle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Waynecastle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Waynecastle is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynecastle
    • Zullinger
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Zullinger is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
    • Waynesboro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Clay Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Clay Hill is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Hill
    • Wayne Heights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wayne Heights is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Heights
    • Welsh Run
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Welsh Run is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welsh Run
    • Kauffman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Kauffman is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kauffman
    • Claylick
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Claylick is located in Franklin County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claylick
  • Fulton County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Websters Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Websters Mill is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Websters Mill
    • McConnellsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Covalt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Covalt is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covalt
    • Knobsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Knobsville is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobsville
    • Needmore
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Warfordsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Pleasant Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Ridge is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Ridge
    • Dott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Dott is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dott
    • Harrisonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Harrisonville is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
    • Sipes Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Sipes Mill is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sipes Mill
    • Burnt Cabins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Burnt Cabins is located in Fulton County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Cabins
    • Fort Littleton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Loudoun County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Georges Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Georges Mill is located in Loudoun County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georges Mill
    • Lovettsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bolington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bolington is located in Loudoun County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolington
  • Berkeley County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Falling Waters
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bedington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
    • Little Georgetown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
    • Scrabble
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
    • Hedgesville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Swan Pond
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
    • Martinsburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Baker Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Baker Heights is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Heights
    • Arden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Arden is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
    • Darkesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Darkesville is located in Berkeley County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkesville
    • Inwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Gerrardstown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Jefferson County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Shepherdstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Bardane
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Bardane is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardane
    • Harpers Ferry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bolivar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Bolivar is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,018 people
    • Lower Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Lower Town is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Town
    • Jefferson Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
    • Charles Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Ranson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Ranson is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranson
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,360 people
      • Ranson has also been known as:
      • Corporation of Ranson
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ranson <1>
    • Middleway
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bloomery
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bloomery is located in Jefferson County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomery
  • Morgan County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forest Hills, with the one closest to Forest Hills listed first.
    • Cherry Run
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Cherry Run is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Run
    • Holton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Holton is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holton
    • Sleepy Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Sleepy Creek is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleepy Creek
    • Hancock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Hancock is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
    • Bath
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bath is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
    • Berkeley Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Berryville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Berryville is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Stotlers Crossroads
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads

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

Cemeteries Near Forest Hills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest Hills.

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 Forest Hills - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Rest Haven Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Longmeadow Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Paradise Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Salem Graveyard
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Graveyard
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Zion Reformed United Church of Christ Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Shiloh Graveyard
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • State Line UMC Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Reiffs Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Beautiful View Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • State Line Union Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (319 more) ...

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>

While we didn't find Forest Hills in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Forest Hills.

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

  • Maugansville
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Hagerstown
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Hagerstown is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerstown
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,918 people
    • Former name for Hagerstown:
    • Hager's Town
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hagerstown <1>
  • State Line
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Cearfoss
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Cearfoss is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cearfoss
  • Huyett
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Huyett is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huyett
  • Halfway
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Halfway is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
  • Wingerton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Wingerton is located in Franklin County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingerton
  • Broadfording
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Broadfording is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadfording
  • Funkstown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Chewsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Chewsville is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
  • Leitersburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Leitersburg is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
  • Shady Grove
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Shady Grove is located in Franklin County (PA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
  • Continue List   (21 more) ...
    • Fairview
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Fairview is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Conococheague
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Conococheague is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conococheague
    • Cavetown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Cavetown is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown

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

Newspapers Published in Forest Hills ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest Hills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest Hills, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest Hills.

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 either 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 Forest Hills:

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>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.
<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 Forest Hills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Forest Hills) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.