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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 Fruitland (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 Fruitland. 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 Fruitland ...

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.

Another variation: Fruit Land.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fruitland. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fruitland.

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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Fruitland is located in Wicomico 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 Wicomico County: Sussex (DE), Dorchester, Somerset & Worcester.

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

  • Wicomico County     (The home county of Fruitland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Dogwood Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Dogwood Village is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Village
    • Salisbury
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Centennial Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Centennial Village is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial Village
    • Allen
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Allen is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
    • Twiggs Corner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Twiggs Corner is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twiggs Corner
    • Cedar Hurst Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Hurst Village is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hurst Village
    • White Plains
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • White Plains is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • Rockawalking Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Rockawalking Village is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockawalking Village
    • Hebron
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Quantico
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Hill Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Green Hill Village is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill Village
    • Delmar
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Caroline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Federalsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Hynson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hynson is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hynson
    • Preston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Vienna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Rabbit Town
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rabbit Town is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabbit Town
    • Walnut Landing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Walnut Landing is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Landing
    • Galestown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Galestown is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galestown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
    • Brookview
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Brookview is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 58 people
    • Eldorado
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Eldorado is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorado
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 57 people
    • Salem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Salem is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
    • Elliott
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Elliott is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
    • Rhodesdale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Finchville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Finchville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchville
    • Reliance
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Reliance is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
    • Bucktown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bucktown is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucktown
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Eden
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Eden is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Loretto
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Loretto is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
    • Princess Anne
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Vernon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Vernon is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
    • Westover
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Monie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Monie is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monie
    • Oriole
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Oriole is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oriole
    • Somersett Town ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Somersett Town is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
    • Costen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Costen is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
    • West Pocomoke
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
    • Champ
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Champ is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champ
    • Manokin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Manokin is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manokin
  • Worcester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Snow Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Newark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Whaleyville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Pocomoke City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,095 people
      • Former names for Pocomoke City:
      • New Town
      • Stevens Landing
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocomoke City <1>
    • Cedartown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedartown is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
    • Girdletree
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Girdletree is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
    • Stockton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Berlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berlin <1>
    • Showell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Showell is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
    • Bishop
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Bishop is located in Worcester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Bishopville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Ocean Pines
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Sussex County (DE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Delmar
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Delmar is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmar <1>
    • Ward
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Ward is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
    • Laurel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Laurel is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,511 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel <1>
    • Bethel
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Bethel is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bethel <1>
    • Blades
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Blades is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blades
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,498 people
    • Mission
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Mission is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
    • Reliance
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Reliance is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
    • Seaford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Seaford is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,246 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seaford <1>
    • Heritage Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Heritage Village is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Ross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Ross is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ross
    • Selbyville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Briar Hook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Briar Hook is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briar Hook
  • Accomack County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland listed first.
    • Sign Post
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Sign Post is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
    • Greenbackville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
    • Sinnickson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
    • Withams
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Withams is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withams
    • Saxis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Saxis is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxis
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 230 people
    • Wattsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Wattsville is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
    • Atlantic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Temperanceville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Chincoteague
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Chincoteague is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chincoteague
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,866 people
    • Hallwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Hallwood is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Birch Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Birch Town is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Town

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

Cemeteries Near Fruitland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fruitland.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fruitland, with the one closest to Fruitland 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 Fruitland had a population of 320 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Fruitland had a population of 5,326 people.

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

  • Eden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Eden is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
  • Salisbury
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Whayland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Whayland is located in Wicomico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whayland
  • Allen
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Allen is located in Wicomico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
  • Loretto
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Loretto is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
  • Hebron
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Walston
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Walston is located in Wicomico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walston
  • Quantico
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Princess Anne
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Whitehaven
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Widgeon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Widgeon is located in Somerset County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widgeon
  • Wango
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Wango is located in Wicomico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wango
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Parsonsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Delmar
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Delmar is located in Sussex County (DE)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmar
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,879 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Delmar <1>
    • Capitola
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Capitola is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitola

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

Newspapers Published in Fruitland ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fruitland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fruitland, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fruitland.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Fruitland:

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 Fruitland, 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' (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- Fruitland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.