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 Willow Grove (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 Willow Grove. 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 Willow Grove ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
Another variation: Willowgrove.
- A typical abbreviation for Willow Grove: Willow Grv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Willow Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Willow Grove.
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 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.
Willow Grove 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 Willow Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willow Grove:
- Worcester County (The home county of Willow Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Pocomoke City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,095 people
- Former names for Pocomoke City:
- New Town
- Stevens Landing
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocomoke City <1>
- Girdletree
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Stockton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Snow Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cedartown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cedartown is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
- Newark
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Whaleyville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Showell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Showell is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Showell
- Bishop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bishop is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- West Ocean City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- West Ocean City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City
- Ocean City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ocean Pines
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Somerset County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- West Pocomoke
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
- Costen
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Costen is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
- Rehobeth
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Westover
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Kingston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Kingston is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Princess Anne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Manokin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Manokin is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manokin
- Tulls Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Tulls Corner is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulls Corner
- Eden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Eden is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Loretto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Loretto is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
- Annemessix Towne ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Annemessix Towne is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annemessix Towne
- Somersett Town ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Somersett Town is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
- Upper Fairmount
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Upper Fairmount is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Fairmount
- Wicomico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Whiton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Whiton is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
- Allen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allen is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Powellville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Powellville is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Fruitland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dogwood Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Dogwood Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Village
- Twiggs Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Twiggs Corner is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twiggs Corner
- Salisbury
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- White Plains
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- White Plains is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Parsonsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Green Hill Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Green Hill Village is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill Village
- Pittsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Capitola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Capitola is located in Wicomico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitola
- Centennial Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- 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 Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Delmar
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ward
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Ward is located in Sussex County (DE)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward
- Selbyville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Accomack County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Sign Post
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sign Post is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
- Franklin City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sinnickson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Wattsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wattsville is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Withams
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Withams is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withams
- Chincoteague
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Chincoteague is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chincoteague
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,866 people
- Atlantic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Temperanceville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Birch Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Birch Town is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Town
- Hallwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hallwood is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Groton Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Groton Town is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton Town
- Saxis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Saxis is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxis
- Population from the 2020 Census: 230 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willow Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Willow Grove.
Cemeteries Near Willow Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Grove.
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 Willow Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willow Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Goodwill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Shiloh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Old Shiloh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Hancock Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Betheden Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Betheden Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Salem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Trinity Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (127 more) ...
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Remson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 Willow Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willow Grove, with the one closest to Willow Grove listed first.
- Goodwill
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Goodwill is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
- Pocomoke City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,095 people
- Former names for Pocomoke City:
- New Town
- Stevens Landing
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocomoke City <1>
- Corbin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Corbin is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbin
- Welbourne
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Welbourne is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welbourne
- Stockton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Girdletree
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Costen
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Costen is located in Somerset County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
- Whiteburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Whiteburg is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiteburg
- Scarboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Scarboro is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
- New Church
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Horntown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sinnickson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Franklin City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Boxiron
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Boxiron is located in Worcester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxiron
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willow Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willow Grove.
Newspapers Published in Willow Grove ...
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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Grove, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Grove.
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 Willow Grove:
- 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> | 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 Willow Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Willow Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |