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 Houcks Mill (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 Houcks Mill. 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 Houcks Mill ...
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 Houcks Mill: Houcks Ml. (or less commonly used: Houcks Mll.)
- While the name of this community is Houcks Mill, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Houcks Mill may originally have been Houck's Mill.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Houcks Mill might be written as Houck Mill.
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 and 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.
Houcks Mill is located in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County: Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Carroll, Harford, Howard & York (PA).
Below are the counties that are near Houcks Mill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Houcks Mill:
- Baltimore County (The home county of Houcks Mill)
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Monkton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- White Hall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stablersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Stablersville is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stablersville
- Glencoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Shane
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shane is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shane
- Knoebel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Knoebel is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knoebel
- Phoenix
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Phoenix is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoenix
- Long Green
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Long Green is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Green
- Baldwin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hydes
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hunt Valley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Belfast
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Belfast is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
- Anne Arundel County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Brooklyn Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Arundel Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Arundel Village is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arundel Village
- Pumphrey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pumphrey is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pumphrey
- Linthicum Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Linthicum
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Linthicum is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linthicum
- Patapsco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Patapsco is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patapsco
- Ferndale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Glen Burnie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Riviera Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Riviera Beach is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riviera Beach
- Cohansey Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Cohansey Village is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cohansey Village
- Dorsey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dorsey is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
- Green Haven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Green Haven is located in Anne Arundel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Haven
- Baltimore City
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Homeland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Homeland is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Lauraville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Lauraville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauraville
- Anthonyville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Anthonyville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthonyville
- Gardenville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Gardenville is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gardenville
- Guilford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Guilford is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford
- Waverly
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Waverly is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly
- Colonial Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Charles Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
- Hampden
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Woodberry
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Woodberry is located in Baltimore City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodberry
- Gwynn Oak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Baltimore
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Roller
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Roller is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roller
- Young Mans Fancy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Young Mans Fancy is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Young Mans Fancy
- Rockbrook Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Rockbrook Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockbrook Village
- Hampstead
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Lineboro
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lineboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lineboro
- Berrywood Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Berrywood Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrywood Village
- Manchester
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Carrollton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Carrollton is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrollton
- Finksburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Reeds Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Reeds Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeds Village
- Sandyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sandyville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandyville
- Yorkland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Yorkland is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkland
- Cecil County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Bald Friar ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bald Friar is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Friar
- Conowingo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Oakwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Oakwood is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakwood
- Rowlandsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Rowlandsville is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowlandsville
- Rock Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rock Run is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Run
- Rock Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Springs is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Springs
- Liberty Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Liberty Grove is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Grove
- Port Deposit
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Colora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Frenchtown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Frenchtown is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown
- Perry Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Perry Point is located in Cecil County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Point
- Perryville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Frederick County
- Sams Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sams Creek is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sams Creek
- Harford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Hess
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hess is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hess
- Jarrettsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shawsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Putnam Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Putnam Village is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Putnam Village
- Upper Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Upper Crossroads is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Crossroads
- Federal Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Federal Hill is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Federal Hill
- Coopstown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Coopstown is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopstown
- Sharon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Forest Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Amoss
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Amoss is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amoss
- Fallston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bynum
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bynum is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
- Howard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Marriottsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Woodstock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Ellicott City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ilchester
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ilchester is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilchester
- Linwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Marydell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Marydell is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydell
- Saint Johns Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Saint Johns Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns Village
- Elkridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lawyers Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lawyers Hill is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers Hill
- Alpha
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Alpha is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpha
- Font Hill Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Font Hill Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Font Hill Village
- Columbia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Betterton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coleman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Coleman is located in Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Montgomery County
- High Point Estates
(6 miles [9.7 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 Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- McSherrystown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Midway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Edgegrove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Edgegrove is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgegrove
- Littlestown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Chester County (PA)
- Glen Roy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Roy is located in Chester County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Roy
- Lancaster County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Benton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Benton is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benton
- McSparran
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- McSparran is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McSparran
- Furniss
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Furniss is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furniss
- Mount Nebo
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Nebo is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Nebo
- Colemanville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Colemanville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colemanville
- Highville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Highville is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highville
- Creswell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Creswell is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Buck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Buck is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
- Kirks Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kirks Mills is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirks Mills
- Little Britain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Little Britain is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Britain
- Truce
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Truce is located in Lancaster County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truce
- Conestoga
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- York County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Wiley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Wiley is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
- New Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Draco
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Draco is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Fawn Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- New Freedom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stewartstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Orwig
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Orwig is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orwig
- Tolna
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tolna is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolna
- Railroad
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shrewsbury
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bruce
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Bruce is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruce
- Bryansville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bryansville is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryansville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Houcks Mill, see our County-by-County Page for Houcks Mill.
Cemeteries Near Houcks Mill ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Houcks Mill.
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 Houcks Mill - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Houcks Mill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Highview Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Bethel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- McKendree Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Good Will Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Upper Crossroads Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Old Brick Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jarrettsville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Watters Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (395 more) ...
- Moores Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- North Harford Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- St. James Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 Houcks Mill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Houcks Mill.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Houcks Mill, with the one closest to Houcks Mill listed first.
- Taylor
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Taylor is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor
- Manor
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Manor is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
- Furnace
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Furnace is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furnace
- Madonna
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Madonna is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madonna
- Blackhorse
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Blackhorse is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackhorse
- Corbett
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Corbett is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbett
- Jarrettsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shawsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shawsville is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawsville
- Monkton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Upper Crossroads
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Upper Crossroads is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Crossroads
- Bradenbaugh
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bradenbaugh is located in Harford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradenbaugh
- White Hall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Blue Mount
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Blue Mount is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Mount
- Glencoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sunnybrook
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sunnybrook is located in Baltimore County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybrook
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Houcks Mill. See our List of 1890's Communities around Houcks Mill.
Newspapers Published in Houcks Mill ...
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 1 newspapers that have been published in the area around Houcks Mill.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Houcks Mill, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Houcks Mill.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Houcks Mill:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Baltimore County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anne Arundel County
- Baltimore City
- Carroll County
- Cecil County
- Frederick County
- Harford County
- Howard County
- Kent County
- Montgomery County
- Adams County
- Chester County
- Lancaster County
- York County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Maryland
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> | 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 Houcks Mill, 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- Houcks Mill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |