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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 Portobello (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 Portobello. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Portobello 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 Portobello. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Portobello:

  • Saint Mary's County     (The home county of Portobello)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Saint Marys City
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Drayden
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Valley Lee
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
    • Gum Landing
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gum Landing is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Landing
    • Piney Point
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Dameron
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Dameron is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dameron
    • Great Mills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Tall Timbers
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Callaway
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Lexington Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Scotland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Calvert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Solomons
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Drum Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Drum Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drum Point
    • Chesapeake Ranch Estates - Drum Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Dowell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Olivet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Olivet is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
    • Coster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Coster is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
    • Cove View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cove View is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove View
    • Brianwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Brianwood is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brianwood
    • Cove Point
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Cove Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Point
    • Lusby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Mackall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Mackall is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackall
    • Broomes Island
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Charles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Cobb Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Rock Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Rock Point is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Point
    • Benedict
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Victoria
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Victoria is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Victoria
    • Independence Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Independence Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence Village
    • Hughesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Newburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Morgantown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Morgantown is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgantown
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Fishing Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Golden Hill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Golden Hill is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Hill
    • Crapo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Crapo is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crapo
    • Lakesville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakesville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakesville
    • Bishops Head
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Bishops Head is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishops Head
    • Wingate
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Taylors Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Crocheron
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Crocheron is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocheron
    • Andrews
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Andrews is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
    • Toddville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Toddville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddville
    • Elliott
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Elliott is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
    • Madison
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Madison is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
  • Prince George's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Eagle Harbor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Eagle Harbor is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Cedarhaven
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedarhaven is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarhaven
  • Somerset County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Ewell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Rhodes Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
    • Smith Island
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Smith Island is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island
    • Chance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Deal Island
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Wenona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Wenona is located in Somerset County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
    • Tylerton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dames Quarter
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Wicomico County
    • Nanticoke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Nanticoke is located in Wicomico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nanticoke
  • Essex County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Tappahannock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • 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
    • Dunnsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Layton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Layton is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
  • Lancaster County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Alfonso
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
    • Lankford Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
    • Griffins Landing
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Richtown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Merry Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Monaskon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
  • Northumberland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Lodge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Lodge is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
    • Morrisons Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Morrisons Corner is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisons Corner
    • Bundick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Coan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Heathsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Rainswood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Ophelia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Blackwells
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Lara
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Sunnybank
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Reedville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Remo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
  • Richmond County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Rich Neck
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Tallent Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Tallent Town is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
    • Emmerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Farnham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Warsaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 <1>
    • Downings
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Newland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Newland is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
    • 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
    • Naylors
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Naylors is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
    • Simonson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
  • Westmoreland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello listed first.
    • Tucker Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
    • Kinsale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Griffiths Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
    • Machodoc
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
    • Hinnom
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
    • Nomini Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
    • Bryant Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Bryant Town is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant Town
    • Chiltons
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Chiltons is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiltons
    • Montross
      (21 miles [33.8 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 <1>
    • Baynesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Baynesville is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baynesville
    • Potomac Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Potomac Mills is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Mills
    • Colonial Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Portobello ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portobello.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Portobello, with the one closest to Portobello 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>

While we didn't find Portobello in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Portobello.

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

  • Saint Marys City
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Piney Point
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Valley Lee
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
  • Great Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Ridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Scotland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Solomons
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • California
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Coles Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Tucker Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
  • Drum Point
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Drum Point is located in Calvert County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drum Point
  • Hague
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Kinsale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Lewisetta
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Lewisetta is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisetta
    • Lodge
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Lodge is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge

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

Newspapers Published in Portobello ...

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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portobello.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Portobello, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Portobello.

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 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 Portobello:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Portobello) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Portobello, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.