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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 Laurel (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 Laurel. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Laurel is primarily located in Prince George's County. A portion of Laurel extends into Anne Arundel County and Howard 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 Prince George's County: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Alexandria City (VA) & Fairfax (VA).

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

  • Prince George's County     (The home county of Laurel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • South Laurel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • South Laurel is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Laurel
    • West Laurel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • West Laurel is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Laurel
    • Beltsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Boxwood Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Boxwood Village is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxwood Village
    • Glenn Dale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Goddard
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Goddard is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goddard
    • Greenbelt
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Greenbelt is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenbelt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 23,229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greenbelt <1>
    • Berwyn Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Berwyn Heights is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,249 people
    • Berwyn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Berwyn is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berwyn
    • College Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Lanham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • New Carrollton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Adelphi
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Anne Arundel County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Maryland City
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Maryland City is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland City
    • Annapolis Junction
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jessup
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Geraghty Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Geraghty Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geraghty Village
    • Lake Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Lake Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Village
    • Meade Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Meade Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meade Village
    • Dorsey
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dorsey is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorsey
    • Hidden Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Hidden Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Village
    • Odenton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pioneer City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Pioneer City is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer City
    • Severn Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Severn Village is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severn Village
    • Severn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Harmans
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Harmans is located in Anne Arundel County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmans
  • Baltimore City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Beechfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Oaklee Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Oaklee Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaklee Village
    • Violetville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Brooklyn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Brooklyn is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Carroll
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Carroll is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Curtis Bay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Curtis Bay is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis Bay
    • Edmondson Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Edmondson Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmondson Village
    • Baltimore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Gwynn Oak
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Town
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Old Town is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Town
    • Colonial Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Charles Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Charles Village is located in Baltimore City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Village
    • Hampden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Baltimore County
  • Calvert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Chaney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dunkirk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Apple Greene
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Dunkirk Town Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Dunkirk Town Center is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkirk Town Center
    • Penwick Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Penwick Village is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penwick Village
    • Owings Town Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Owings Town Center is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owings Town Center
    • Owings
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Carroll County
  • Charles County
    • Mattawoman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mattawoman is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawoman
  • Frederick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Mount Airy Village West
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Smith Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Smith Village is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
    • Bartholows
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Valley is located in Frederick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
    • Monrovia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • New London
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • New Market
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Howard County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • North Laurel
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • North Laurel is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Laurel
    • Savage
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hammond Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hammond Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond Village
    • Leishear Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Leishear Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leishear Village
    • Glenshire Towne
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Glenshire Towne is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenshire Towne
    • Guilford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Scaggsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oak View Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Oak View Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak View Village
    • Fulton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Simpsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Simpsonville is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsonville
    • Aladdin Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Aladdin Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aladdin Village
    • Woodland Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodland Village is located in Howard County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
    • Clarksville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Montgomery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Blackburn Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Blackburn Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn Village
    • Burtonsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Fairland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Paint Branch Farms
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Spencerville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Spencerville is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencerville
    • Hillandale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Hillandale is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillandale
    • White Oak
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • White Oak is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Bonifant Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Bonifant Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonifant Village
    • Cloverly
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Cloverly is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverly
    • Colesville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Old Salem Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Old Salem Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Salem Village
    • Burnt Mills Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Burnt Mills Village is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Mills Village
    • Ashton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Queen Anne's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Bay City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bay City is located in Queen Anne's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay City
    • Stevensville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Mattapex
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Alexandria City (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Arlandria
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Warwick Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Warwick Village is located in Alexandria City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick Village
    • Alexandria
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Chinquapin Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Chinquapin Village is located in Alexandria City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinquapin Village
    • Oakcrest
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Arlington County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Cherrydale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Colonial Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Colonial Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Lyon Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lyon Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Village
    • Riverwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Arlington Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Village
    • Arlington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden City is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Brandon Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Brandon Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Buckingham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Williamsburg Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Williamsburg Village is located in Arlington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Village
  • Fairfax City (VA)
  • Fairfax County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Langley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Salona Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Salona Village is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salona Village
    • McLean
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Baileys Crossroads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pimmit Hills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Pimmit Hills is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pimmit Hills
    • Seven Corners
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jefferson Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
    • Lake Barcroft
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Lake Barcroft is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Barcroft
    • Ash Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ash Grove is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Grove
    • Belle Haven
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Burgundy Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Burgundy Village is located in Fairfax County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgundy Village
    • Dunn Loring
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Great Falls
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Falls Church City (VA)
  • Loudoun County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
    • Sugarland Run
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Sugarland Run is located in Loudoun County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugarland Run
    • Countryside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Countryside is located in Loudoun County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside
    • Oak Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Laurel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel.

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

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

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

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Laurel had a population of 1,984 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Laurel had a population of 25,548 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in Laurel ...

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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Laurel:

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 Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov.
<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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.