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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 Hays Beach (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 Hays Beach. 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 Hays Beach ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Hays Beach: Hays Bch.
  • While the name of this community is Hays Beach, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Hays Beach may originally have been Hay's Beach.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hays Beach might be written as Hay Beach.

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.

Hays Beach is located in Saint Mary's 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 Saint Mary's County: Calvert & Charles.

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

  • Saint Mary's County     (The home county of Hays Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Scotland
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Ridge
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dameron
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Dameron is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dameron
    • Gum Landing
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gum Landing is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Landing
    • Saint Marys City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Drayden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Piney Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Tall Timbers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Valley Lee
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
    • Great Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lexington Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Callaway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • California
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Calvert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Drum Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Drum Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drum Point
    • Solomons
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Chesapeake Ranch Estates - Drum Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Olivet
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Olivet is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
    • Dowell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Brianwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Brianwood is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brianwood
    • Cove Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Cove Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Point
    • Cove View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Cove View is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove View
    • Coster
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Coster is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
    • Lusby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Mackall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Mackall is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackall
    • Wallville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wallville is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallville
    • Broomes Island
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Charles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Cobb Island
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Rock Point is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Point
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Fishing Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Bishops Head
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Bishops Head is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishops Head
    • Crocheron
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Crocheron is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocheron
    • Crapo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Crapo is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crapo
    • Wingate
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakesville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakesville
    • Toddville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Toddville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddville
    • Golden Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Golden Hill is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Hill
    • Andrews
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Andrews is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
    • Elliott
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Elliott is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
    • Taylors Island
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Madison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Madison is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
    • Woolford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Woolford is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woolford
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Ewell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Rhodes Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
    • Smith Island
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Smith Island is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island
    • Tylerton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Chance
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Deal Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Wenona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Wenona is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
    • Dames Quarter
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Frenchtown - Rumbly
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Frenchtown - Rumbly is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown - Rumbly
    • Crisfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Daugherty Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Daugherty Town is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daugherty Town
    • Fairmount
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Fairmount is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount
    • Champ
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Champ is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Champ
  • Wicomico County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Nanticoke
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Nanticoke is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanticoke
    • Jesterville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jesterville is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jesterville
    • Bivalve
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Tyaskin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Accomack County (VA)
    • Tangier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Tangier is located in Accomack County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tangier
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 700 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tangier <2>
  • Essex County (VA)
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
  • Lancaster County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Lankford Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
    • Alfonso
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
    • Richtown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Kilmarnock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Merry Point
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Griffins Landing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Monaskon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
    • Ottoman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Irvington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Ocran
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Millenbeck
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Weems
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
    • White Stone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Middlesex County (VA)
    • Nesting
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
  • Northumberland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Ophelia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Bundick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Coan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Lodge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Lodge is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
    • Sunnybank
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Heathsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Morrisons Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Morrisons Corner is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisons Corner
    • Blackwells
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Rainswood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Reedville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Remo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Fleeton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Lara
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
  • Richmond County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Rich Neck
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Farnham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Downings
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Emmerton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Tallent Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Tallent Town is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
    • Warsaw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Warsaw is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warsaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,490 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warsaw <2>
    • Simons Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Simonson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Naylors
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Naylors is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
    • Newland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Newland is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
  • Westmoreland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hays Beach, with the one closest to Hays Beach listed first.
    • Kinsale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Tucker Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
    • Griffiths Corner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
    • Machodoc
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
    • Hinnom
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
    • Nomini Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
    • Chiltons
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Chiltons is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiltons
    • Bryant Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Bryant Town is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant Town
    • Montross
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Montross is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montross
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 392 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montross <2>
    • Baynesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Baynesville is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baynesville

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

Cemeteries Near Hays Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hays Beach.

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 Hays Beach - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Pt. Lookout Confederate Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • St. Michael Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. James Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • TestShiva Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairfields Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Holy Face Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Yeocomico Episcopal Churchyard
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (116 more) ...
    • Carmel Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Hope Union Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Roseland Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)

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 Hays Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hays Beach.

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

  • Scotland
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Saint Marys City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Lewisetta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lewisetta is located in Northumberland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisetta
  • Piney Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Bundick
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bundick is located in Northumberland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
  • Ophelia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Valley Lee
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
  • Lodge
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Lodge is located in Northumberland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
  • Lottsburg
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Avalon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Avalon is located in Northumberland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
  • Great Mills
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Kinsale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Heathsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunnybank
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank

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

Newspapers Published in Hays Beach ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hays Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hays Beach, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hays Beach.

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 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 Hays Beach:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Hays Beach) 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 Hays Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.