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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 Potomac Shores (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 Potomac Shores. 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 Potomac Shores ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Potomac Shores: Potomac Shrs.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Potomac Shores. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Potomac Shores.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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

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

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

  • Saint Mary's County     (The home county of Potomac Shores)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Valley Lee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
    • Tall Timbers
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Callaway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Drayden
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Great Mills
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Piney Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Saint Marys City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • California
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lexington Park
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • North Town Creek Manor
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • North Town Creek Manor is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Town Creek Manor
    • Breton Beach
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Breton Beach is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breton Beach
    • Compton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Compton is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
  • Calvert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Solomons
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Dowell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Drum Point
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Drum Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drum Point
    • Olivet
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Olivet is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
    • Chesapeake Ranch Estates - Drum Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Coster
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Coster is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coster
    • Cove View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cove View is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove View
    • Mackall
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Mackall is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackall
    • Brianwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Brianwood is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brianwood
    • Broomes Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Lusby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Cove Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Cove Point is located in Calvert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Point
  • Charles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Cobb Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Rock Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Rock Point is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Point
    • Mount Victoria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Victoria is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Victoria
    • Benedict
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Morgantown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgantown is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgantown
    • Independence Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Independence Village is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence Village
    • Newburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hughesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Faulkner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryantown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Air
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Air is located in Charles County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Air
    • Bel Alton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Dorchester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Fishing Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Golden Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Golden Hill is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Hill
    • Taylors Island
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Lakesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakesville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakesville
    • Crapo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Crapo is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crapo
    • Wingate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Andrews
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Andrews is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andrews
    • Bishops Head
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Bishops Head is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishops Head
    • Crocheron
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Crocheron is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocheron
    • Toddville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Toddville is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toddville
    • Madison
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Madison is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
    • Thomas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Thomas is located in Dorchester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas
  • Prince George's County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Cedarhaven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Cedarhaven is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarhaven
    • Eagle Harbor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Eagle Harbor is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Harbor
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 69 people
    • Aquasco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Aquasco is located in Prince George's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquasco
  • Essex County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Layton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Layton is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
    • Tappahannock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Occupacia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Occupacia is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Occupacia
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
    • Dunnsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Loretto
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Loretto is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
    • Lloyds
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lloyds is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyds
    • Dunbrooke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunbrooke is located in Essex County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
  • King George County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Alden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Alden is located in King George County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
    • Dahlgren
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Ninde
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Ninde is located in King George County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ninde
    • Hooes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Hooes is located in King George County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooes
    • Shiloh
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Shiloh is located in King George County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
  • Lancaster County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Alfonso
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
    • Griffins Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Lankford Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
  • Northumberland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Morrisons Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Morrisons Corner is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisons Corner
    • Lodge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Lodge is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
    • Bundick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Coan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Rainswood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Heathsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Lara
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Ophelia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Blackwells
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Sunnybank
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Remo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Reedville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Richmond County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Rich Neck
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Tallent Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tallent Town is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
    • Newland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Newland is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
    • Warsaw
      (19 miles [30.6 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>
    • Emmerton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Farnham
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Naylors
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Naylors is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
    • Downings
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Simons Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • 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 Potomac Shores, with the one closest to Potomac Shores listed first.
    • Tucker Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
    • Machodoc
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
    • Kinsale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Hinnom
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
    • Griffiths Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
    • Bryant Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bryant Town is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant Town
    • Chiltons
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Chiltons is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiltons
    • Nomini Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
    • Montross
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Baynesville is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baynesville
    • Potomac Mills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Potomac Mills is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Mills
    • Colonial Beach
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Potomac Shores ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Potomac Shores.

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 Potomac Shores - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Holy Face Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Evergreen Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Our Ladys Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Andrews Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • New St. Aloysius Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Burnt House Field Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Lee Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Francis Xavier Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (121 more) ...

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

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

  • Valley Lee
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • 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 northeast)
  • Coles Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Piney Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Saint Marys City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • California
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Leonardtown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Compton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Compton is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Compton
  • Hague
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Tucker Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
  • Machodoc
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
  • Hollywood
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Hollywood is located in Saint Mary's County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Solomons
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Oakley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Oakley is located in Saint Mary's County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
    • Kinsale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Potomac Shores ...

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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Potomac Shores.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Potomac Shores, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Potomac Shores.

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 Potomac Shores:

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Potomac Shores) 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 Potomac Shores, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.