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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 Forked River (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 Forked River. 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 Forked River ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Forked River: Forked Riv.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Forked River is located in Ocean County.

To see how the shape of New Jersey's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Ocean County: Atlantic, Burlington & Monmouth.

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

  • Ocean County     (The home county of Forked River)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forked River, with the one closest to Forked River listed first.
    • Waretown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waretown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waretown
      • Waretown is located in Ocean County
    • Double Trouble ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Trouble
      • Double Trouble is located in Ocean County
    • Dover Forge
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover Forge
      • Dover Forge is located in Ocean County
    • Toms River
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toms River
      • Toms River is located in Ocean County
    • Silver Ridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Ridge
      • Silver Ridge is located in Ocean County
    • Holiday Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holiday Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holiday Heights
      • Holiday Heights is located in Ocean County
    • Ocean Acres
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Acres
      • Ocean Acres is located in Ocean County
    • Dover Beaches South
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dover Beaches South have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover Beaches South
      • Dover Beaches South is located in Ocean County
    • Pine Ridge at Crestwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge at Crestwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge at Crestwood
      • Pine Ridge at Crestwood is located in Ocean County
    • Manahawkin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manahawkin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manahawkin
      • Manahawkin is located in Ocean County
    • Crestwood Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crestwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crestwood Village
      • Crestwood Village is located in Ocean County
    • Beach Haven West
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach Haven West have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach Haven West
      • Beach Haven West is located in Ocean County
  • Atlantic County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forked River, with the one closest to Forked River listed first.
    • Port Republic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Republic
      • Port Republic is located in Atlantic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,051 people
    • Sweetwater
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
      • Sweetwater is located in Atlantic County
    • Egg Harbor City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Egg Harbor City
      • Egg Harbor City is located in Atlantic County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,057 people
  • Burlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forked River, with the one closest to Forked River listed first.
    • Chatsworth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatsworth
      • Chatsworth is located in Burlington County
    • Country Lake Estates
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Country Lake Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Lake Estates
      • Country Lake Estates is located in Burlington County
    • Speedwell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
      • Speedwell is located in Burlington County
    • Presidential Lakes Estates
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Presidential Lakes Estates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Presidential Lakes Estates
      • Presidential Lakes Estates is located in Burlington County
    • New Gretna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Gretna
      • New Gretna is located in Burlington County
    • Browns Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Mills
      • Browns Mills is located in Burlington County
    • Wading River
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wading River
      • Wading River is located in Burlington County
    • Washington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Washington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
      • Washington is located in Burlington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,459 people
    • Sooy Place
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sooy Place
      • Sooy Place is located in Burlington County
    • Fort Dix
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Dix
      • Fort Dix is located in Burlington County
    • Jacobstown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacobstown
      • Jacobstown is located in Burlington County
    • Batsto Village ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batsto Village
      • Batsto Village is located in Burlington County
      • Batsto Village has also been known as:
      • Batsto
  • Monmouth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Forked River, with the one closest to Forked River listed first.
    • Ramtown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramtown
      • Ramtown is located in Monmouth County
    • Allenwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenwood
      • Allenwood is located in Monmouth County
    • Maxim
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxim
      • Maxim is located in Monmouth County
    • Allaire Village ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allaire Village
      • Allaire Village is located in Monmouth County
      • Allaire Village has also been known as:
      • Allaire
    • Squankum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Squankum
      • Squankum is located in Monmouth County
    • West Belmar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Belmar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Belmar
      • West Belmar is located in Monmouth County
    • Prospertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospertown
      • Prospertown is located in Monmouth County
    • Belmar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmar
      • Belmar is located in Monmouth County
    • Shark River Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shark River Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shark River Hills
      • Shark River Hills is located in Monmouth County
    • Neptune City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune City
      • Neptune City is located in Monmouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,594 people
    • Cream Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cream Ridge
      • Cream Ridge is located in Monmouth County
    • Asbury Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury Park
      • Asbury Park is located in Monmouth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,377 people

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

Newspapers Published in Forked River ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forked River.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forked River, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forked River.

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 Forked River:

Cemeteries Near Forked River ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forked River.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Good Luck Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Good Luck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Good Luck Cemetery
  • Ocean Community Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ocean Community Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ocean Community Cemetery
  • Old Waretown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Waretown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Waretown Cemetery
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Masonic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Masonic Cemetery
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Friends Meeting Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Friends Meeting Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Friends Meeting Cemetery
  • St. Maximillian Kolbe Roman Catholic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Joseph Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Joseph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Joseph Cemetery
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
  • Reevestown Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Reevestown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Reevestown Cemetery
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Continue List   (45 more) ...
    • Manahawkin Baptist Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Manahawkin Baptist Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Manahawkin Baptist Church Cemetery
    • B'nai Israel Memorial Park
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the B'nai Israel Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the B'nai Israel Memorial Park
    • Toms River Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Toms River Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Toms River Cemetery

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 Forked River had a population of 300 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Waretown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waretown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waretown
    • Waretown is located in Ocean County
  • Bayville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayville
    • Bayville is located in Ocean County
  • Toms River
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toms River
    • Toms River is located in Ocean County
  • Beach View
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach View
    • Beach View is located in Ocean County
  • Davenport ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davenport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davenport
    • Davenport is located in Ocean County
  • Manahawkin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manahawkin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manahawkin
    • Manahawkin is located in Ocean County
  • Long Beach
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Beach
    • Long Beach is located in Ocean County
  • Cedar Run
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Run
    • Cedar Run is located in Ocean County
  • Mayetta
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayetta
    • Mayetta is located in Ocean County
  • Staffordville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staffordville
    • Staffordville is located in Ocean County
  • Chadwick
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chadwick have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chadwick
    • Chadwick is located in Ocean County
  • Silverton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverton
    • Silverton is located in Ocean County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Whiting
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiting
      • Whiting is located in Ocean County
    • Wheatland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheatland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
      • Wheatland is located in Ocean County
    • Osbornsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Osbornsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osbornsville
      • Osbornsville is located in Ocean County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Forked River. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Ocean County: www.oceancountygov.com/

The official website for State of New Jersey: https://www.state.nj.us/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Forked River) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Forked River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.8400, Longitude: -74.1912    
<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 Forked River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024