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 Happy 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 Happy 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 Happy 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 Happy Valley: Happy Vly. (or less commonly used: Happy Vally. or Happy Vlly.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Happy Valley. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Happy 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 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.
Happy Valley is located in Carroll 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 Carroll County: Baltimore, Frederick, Howard, Adams (PA) & York (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Happy Valley. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Happy Valley:
- Carroll County (The home county of Happy Valley)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Roller
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Roller is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Rockbrook Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Young Mans Fancy
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Lineboro
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Manchester
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hampstead
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Reeds Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Carrollton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carrollton is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Berrywood Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Berrywood Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrywood Village
- Sandyville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sandyville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
- Yorkland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Yorkland is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkland
- Finksburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Baltimore City
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Colonial Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Colonial Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Homeland
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Homeland is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Gwynn Oak
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Woodberry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Woodberry is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodberry
- Guilford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Guilford is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Hampden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Waverly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Waverly is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Edmondson Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Edmondson Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmondson Village
- Anthonyville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Anthonyville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthonyville
- Charles Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
- Gardenville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gardenville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
- Lauraville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lauraville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauraville
- Baltimore County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Eklo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Shamburg ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shamburg is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamburg
- Trenton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Trenton is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton
- Mount Carmel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Freeland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Walker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Walker is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
- Oakland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Oakland is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Upperco
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Maryland Line
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Maryland Line is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland Line
- Parkton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fowblesburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fowblesburg is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fowblesburg
- Yeoho
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Yeoho is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeoho
- Frederick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Sams Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sams Creek is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Creek
- Oak Orchard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Orchard is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Orchard
- Unionville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Unionville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Ladiesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Ladiesburg is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladiesburg
- Centerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Libertytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Libertytown is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Libertytown
- New Midway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- New Midway is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Midway
- Mount Airy Village West
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Emmitsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rocky Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Daysville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Daysville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daysville
- Woodsboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Harford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Shawsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Hess
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hess is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
- Federal Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Jarrettsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Coopstown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Coopstown is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopstown
- Putnam Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Putnam Village is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Village
- Upper Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Upper Crossroads is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Crossroads
- Sharon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Forest Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pylesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Amoss
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Amoss is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amoss
- Fallston
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Howard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Marriottsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Woodstock
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Alpha
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Alpha is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
- Marydell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Marydell is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydell
- Sandy Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sandy Hill is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hill
- West Friendship
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Cooksville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lisbon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ellicott City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Font Hill Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Font Hill Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Font Hill Village
- Linwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saint Johns Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Saint Johns Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns Village
- Montgomery County
- High Point Estates
(21 miles [33.8 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 Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Midway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- McSherrystown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Edgegrove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Littlestown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Kingsdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Kingsdale is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsdale
- Abbottstown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitehall
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitehall is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
- New Oxford
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bonneauville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bonneauville is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonneauville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,837 people
- Brush Run
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brush Run is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Run
- East Berlin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Heritage
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lake Heritage is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Heritage
- Lancaster County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Creswell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Creswell is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Highville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Highville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highville
- Washington Borough
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Washington Borough is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Borough
- Billmeyer ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Billmeyer is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Billmeyer
- Colemanville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Colemanville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colemanville
- Mount Nebo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Nebo is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
- Benton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Benton is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- Central Manor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Central Manor is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Manor
- Columbia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Letort
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Letort is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letort
- Marietta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maytown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- York County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Blackrock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Blackrock is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackrock
- Brodbecks
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Brodbecks is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brodbecks
- Glenville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Glenville is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
- West Manheim
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Manheim is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Manheim
- Railroad
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bandanna
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bandanna is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandanna
- Glen Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Seitzland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Seitzland is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seitzland
- Shrewsbury
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Valley Junction
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Valley Junction is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Tolna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tolna is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolna
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Happy Valley, see our County-by-County Page for Happy Valley.
Cemeteries Near Happy Valley ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Happy 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 Happy Valley - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Happy Valley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Millers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Zimmermans Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Alesia Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Stansbury Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Greenmount Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Salem UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Salem UMC Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northeast of Hampstead.
- The Salem UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Salem Cemetery
- Be careful not to confuse this cemetery with another one that is also named Salem UMC Cemetery (located 60 miles to the north).
- Lazarus Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bollinger Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lutheran Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Trinity Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (410 more) ...
- St. Bartholomews Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Bethlehem Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 16 miles [25.7 km]<2> to the west of New Freedom (PA).
- The Bethlehem Cemetery has also been known as:
- Bethlehem Steltz Reformed Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #489292 <3>
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 Happy Valley in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Happy Valley.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Happy Valley, with the one closest to Happy Valley listed first.
- Roller
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Roller is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Alesia
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Alesia is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alesia
- Maple Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Maple Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Beckleysville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Beckleysville is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckleysville
- Rockdale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rockdale is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockdale
- Hoffmanville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hoffmanville is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoffmanville
- Millers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Millers is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers
- Greenmount
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenmount is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
- Lineboro
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Manchester
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Hampstead
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hokes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hokes is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokes
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Shamburg ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shamburg is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shamburg
- Eklo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eklo is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eklo
- Stiltz
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stiltz is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stiltz
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Happy Valley. See our List of 1890's Communities around Happy Valley.
Newspapers Published in Happy 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 3 newspapers that have been published in the area around Happy Valley.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Happy Valley, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Happy Valley.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Happy Valley:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Carroll County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baltimore City
- Baltimore 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Happy Valley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Happy Valley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |