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 Petersburg (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 Petersburg. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Petersburg is located in Cape May County.
To see how the shape of New Jersey's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cape May County: Atlantic & Cumberland.
Below are the counties that are near Petersburg. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Petersburg:
- Cape May County (The home county of Petersburg)
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Tuckahoe
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Tuckahoe is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- Mount Pleasant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Steelmantown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Steelmantown is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steelmantown
- Ocean View
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ocean View is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean View
- Strathmere
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Strathmere is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strathmere
- Dennisville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dennisville is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennisville
- Clermont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Clermont is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Sea Isle City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sea Isle City is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Isle City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,019 people
- South Dennis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- South Dennis is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
- Belleplain
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Belleplain is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleplain
- Ocean City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ocean City is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,902 people
- Eldora
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Eldora is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldora
- Atlantic County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Corbin City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Corbin City is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corbin City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 488 people
- Warners Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Warners Mill is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warners Mill
- Estell Manor
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Estell Manor is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estell Manor
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,738 people
- Somers Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Somers Point is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,153 people
- Estellville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Estellville is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estellville
- Bargaintown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bargaintown is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bargaintown
- Linwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Linwood is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,635 people
- Dorothy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dorothy is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
- Clarkstown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Clarkstown is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkstown
- Margate City
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Margate City is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margate City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,801 people
- Northfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Northfield is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,047 people
- Mays Landing
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Mays Landing is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Landing
- Burlington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Green Bank
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Green Bank is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Bank
- Batsto Village ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Batsto Village is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batsto Village
- Batsto Village has also been known as:
- Batsto
- New Gretna
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- New Gretna is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Gretna
- Wading River
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wading River is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wading River
- Washington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Washington is located in Burlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,459 people
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Delmont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Delmont is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delmont
- Hesstown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hesstown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hesstown
- Dorchester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Dorchester is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
- Leesburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Leesburg is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Cumberland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
- Mauricetown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mauricetown is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauricetown
- Port Elizabeth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Port Elizabeth is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Elizabeth
- Haleyville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Haleyville is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haleyville
- Bivalve
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bivalve is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bivalve
- Port Norris
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Port Norris is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Norris
- Laurel Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Laurel Lake is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Lake
- Millville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Millville is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 27,025 people
- Gloucester County
- Victory Lakes
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Victory Lakes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory Lakes
- Ocean County
- Mystic Island
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mystic Island is located in Ocean County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic Island
- Salem County
- The following are listed by their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Norma
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Norma is located in Salem County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norma
- Alliance
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Alliance is located in Salem County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alliance
- Six Points
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Six Points is located in Salem County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Olivet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Olivet is located in Salem County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Petersburg, see our County-by-County Page for Petersburg.
Cemeteries Near Petersburg ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Petersburg.
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 Petersburg - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Petersburg covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Tiffereth Israel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Seaside Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Tuckahoe UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Steelmantown Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- United Brotherhood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Head of the River Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Head of the River Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Head of the River Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the west of Corbin City.
- The Head of the River Cemetery has also been known as:
- Aetna Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1105371 <1>
- St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery is located outside of Woodbine
- The St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cemetery has also been known as:
- St. Nicholas Ukranian Catholic Cemetery
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Somers Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Palestine Bible Protestant Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (57 more) ...
- Colonel Richard Somers Family Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Steelman Family Burial Ground
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Petersburg had a population of 290 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Petersburg, with the one closest to Petersburg listed first.
- Tuckahoe
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Tuckahoe is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- Mount Pleasant
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Seaville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Seaville is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seaville
- Palermo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Palermo is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Marmora
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Marmora is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marmora
- South Seaville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- South Seaville is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Seaville
- Ocean View
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ocean View is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean View
- Beesleys Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Beesleys Point is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beesleys Point
- Dennisville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dennisville is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennisville
- South Dennis
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- South Dennis is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Dennis
- Clermont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Clermont is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clermont
- Sea Isle City
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sea Isle City is located in Cape May County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sea Isle City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,019 people
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Somers Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Somers Point is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somers Point
- Population from the 2020 Census: 10,153 people
- Scullville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Scullville is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scullville
- English Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- English Creek is located in Atlantic County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Petersburg. See our List of 1890's Communities around Petersburg.
Newspapers Published in Petersburg ...
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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Petersburg.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Petersburg, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Petersburg.
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 websites either 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 Petersburg:
- Websites specific to New Jersey
- Pages specific to Cape May County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Atlantic County
- Burlington County
- Cumberland County
- Gloucester County
- Ocean County
- Salem County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for New Jersey
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Petersburg) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Petersburg, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |