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 Knowles (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 Knowles. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest 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 north.
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 north 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.
Knowles is located in Frederick 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 Frederick County: Carroll, Howard, Montgomery, Washington, Adams (PA), Franklin (PA) & Loudoun (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Knowles. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Knowles:
- Frederick County (The home county of Knowles)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Jimtown
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jimtown is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
- Catoctin Furnace
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Thurmont
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Creagerstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Rocky Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mountaindale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mountaindale is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountaindale
- New Midway
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- New Midway is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Midway
- Sabillasville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Charlesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Charlesville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Green Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Green Village is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
- Woodsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Colony Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Colony Village is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colony Village
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Bruceville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bruceville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruceville
- Keymar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Keysville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Keysville is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
- Crabster ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Crabster is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crabster
- Union Bridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bark Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bark Hill is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bark Hill
- Fairground Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Fairground Village is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairground Village
- McKinstrys Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- McKinstrys Mill is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKinstrys Mill
- Taneytown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Harney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Harney is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harney
- Linwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Linwood is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Uniontown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Uniontown is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uniontown
- Howard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Long Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Long Corner is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Corner
- Lisbon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Timberleigh Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Timberleigh Village is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberleigh Village
- Cooksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Glenwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Roxbury Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Roxbury Mills is located in Howard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury Mills
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Hyattstown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Hyattstown is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyattstown
- Browningsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Browningsville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browningsville
- Damascus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Barnesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Barnesville is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 178 people
- Clarksburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dickerson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mullinix
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mullinix is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullinix
- Monocacy ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Monocacy is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monocacy
- Burdette
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Burdette is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
- Etchison
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Etchison is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etchison
- Beallsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blocktown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Blocktown is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blocktown
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Highfield - Cascade
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Highfield - Cascade is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highfield - Cascade
- Smithsburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pen Mar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pen Mar is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Pen Mar has also been known as:
- Pen Mar Park
- Cavetown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Cavetown is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cavetown
- Pondsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pondsville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pondsville
- Greenvale Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Greenvale Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenvale Village
- Mount Aetna
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mount Aetna is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Aetna
- Chewsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Chewsville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chewsville
- Mount Lena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Lena is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lena
- Hill Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hill Village is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Village
- Leitersburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Leitersburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leitersburg
- Robinwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Robinwood is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinwood
- Adams County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Zora
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Zora is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zora
- Carroll Valley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jacks Mountain
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Jacks Mountain is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacks Mountain
- Fairfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Virginia Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Virginia Mills is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Mills
- Greenmount
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Greenmount is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
- Orrtanna
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- McKnightstown Station
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- McKnightstown Station is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKnightstown Station
- Kingsdale
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Kingsdale is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsdale
- Cashtown - McKnightstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Gettysburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Heritage
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Heritage is located in Adams County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Heritage
- Franklin County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Blue Ridge Summit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Pen Mar
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pen Mar is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pen Mar
- Monterey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Monterey is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
- Beartown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Beartown is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
- Rouzerville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rouzerville is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rouzerville
- Wayne Heights
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wayne Heights is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayne Heights
- Waynesboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Nunnery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nunnery is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunnery
- Quincy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wingerton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wingerton is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingerton
- Zullinger
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Zullinger is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zullinger
- Waynecastle
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Waynecastle is located in Franklin County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynecastle
- York County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Pennville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pennville is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pennville
- Bandanna
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bandanna is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandanna
- Hanover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parkville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parkville is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkville
- West Manheim
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- West Manheim is located in York County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Manheim
- Loudoun County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Georges Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Georges Mill is located in Loudoun County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georges Mill
- Lovettsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lucketts
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lucketts is located in Loudoun County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucketts
- Bolington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bolington is located in Loudoun County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolington
- Morrisonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Morrisonville is located in Loudoun County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisonville
- Wheatland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wheatland is located in Loudoun County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
- Berkeley County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Scrabble
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Scrabble is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Falling Waters
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Swan Pond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Swan Pond is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Pond
- Bedington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bedington is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedington
- Little Georgetown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Little Georgetown is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Georgetown
- Baker Heights
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Baker Heights is located in Berkeley County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Heights
- Hedgesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Martinsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Jefferson County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Shepherdstown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lower Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lower Town is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lower Town
- Bolivar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bolivar is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolivar
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,018 people
- Harpers Ferry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bardane
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bardane is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bardane
- Jefferson Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Village is located in Jefferson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Knowles, see our County-by-County Page for Knowles.
Cemeteries Near Knowles ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Knowles.
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 Knowles - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Knowles covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Graceham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Apples Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wellers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellers Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wellers Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Thurmont.
- The Wellers Cemetery has also been known as:
- Wellers United Brethren Church Cemetery
- Wellers UMC Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #81757 <2>
- Blue Ridge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mt. Prospect Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Union Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Browns Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mountaindale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Utica Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica Cemetery
- The Utica Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Paul's Cemetery
- St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Cemetery
- St. Paul's Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1988214 <2>
- Mt. Tabor Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Monocacy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (397 more) ...
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Garfield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Knowles in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Knowles.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Knowles, with the one closest to Knowles listed first.
- Catoctin Furnace
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Catoctin Furnace is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catoctin Furnace
- Graceham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Graceham is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graceham
- Creagerstown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Creagerstown is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creagerstown
- Loys
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Loys is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loys
- Lewistown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Lewistown is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewistown
- Foxville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Foxville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxville
- Rocky Ridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Garfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Garfield is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Wolfsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wolfsville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfsville
- Hansonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hansonville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansonville
- Motters
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Motters is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motters
- Ellerton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ellerton is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerton
- Continue List (24 more) ...
- Sabillasville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Charlesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Charlesville is located in Frederick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
- Woodsboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Knowles. See our List of 1890's Communities around Knowles.
Newspapers Published in Knowles ...
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 Knowles.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Knowles, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Knowles.
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 helpful 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 Knowles:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Frederick County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Howard County
- Montgomery County
- Washington County
- Adams County
- Franklin County
- York County
- Loudoun County
- Berkeley County
- Jefferson 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> | 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> | 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 Knowles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Knowles) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |