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 West Ocean City (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 West Ocean City. 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 West Ocean City ...
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 West Ocean City: W. Ocean City
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Ocean City. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Ocean City.
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 doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
West Ocean City is located in Worcester 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 Worcester County: Sussex (DE), Somerset, Wicomico & Accomack (VA).
Below are the counties that are near West Ocean City. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Ocean City:
- Worcester County (The home county of West Ocean City)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Ocean City
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- North Ocean City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- North Ocean City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Ocean City
- Ocean Bay City
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Ocean Bay City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Bay City
- Ocean Pines
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Showell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Showell is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
- Bishop
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Bishopville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Whaleyville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newark
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cedartown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cedartown is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
- Snow Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Girdletree
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Eden
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Eden is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- West Pocomoke
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
- Wicomico County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- New Hope
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- New Hope is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Willards
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Powellville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Powellville is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Whiton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Whiton is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
- Pittsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Parsonsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- White Plains
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- White Plains is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Delmar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Salisbury
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dogwood Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Dogwood Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Village
- Fruitland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cedar Hurst Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Cedar Hurst Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hurst Village
- Centennial Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Centennial Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial Village
- Sussex County (DE)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Williamsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Williamsville is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
- Bayville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bayville is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
- Bunting
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bunting is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunting
- Fenwick Island
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Selbyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bayard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Bayard is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Roxana
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Roxana is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
- South Bethany
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Bethany Beach
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Boyers Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Boyers Village is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyers Village
- Millville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Ocean View
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Frankford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Accomack County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Franklin City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chincoteague
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chincoteague is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chincoteague
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,866 people
- Sinnickson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Sign Post
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sign Post is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Ocean City, see our County-by-County Page for West Ocean City.
Cemeteries Near West Ocean City ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Ocean City.
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 West Ocean City - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Ocean City covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Bethany Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Buckingham Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Tyree Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Old St. Martins Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- St. Martins Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bishopville Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Golden Acres Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Timmonstown Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Continue List (108 more) ...
- Townsend Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Trinity Gardens Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilgus Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
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.<2>
While we didn't find West Ocean City in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Ocean City.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Ocean City, with the one closest to West Ocean City listed first.
- Ocean City
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Holly Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Holly Grove is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
- Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Friendship
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Friendship is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Ironshire
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ironshire is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironshire
- Showell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Showell is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
- Campbell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Campbell is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Williamsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Williamsville is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
- Bunting
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bunting is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunting
- Bishopville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bayville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bayville is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
- Bishop
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Selbyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Newark
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roxana
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Roxana is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Ocean City. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Ocean City.
Newspapers Published in West Ocean City ...
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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Ocean City.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Ocean City, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Ocean City.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 West Ocean City:
- Websites specific to Maryland
- Pages specific to Worcester County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Somerset County
- Wicomico County
- Sussex County
- Accomack 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> | 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 West Ocean City, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- West Ocean City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |