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 Will-O-Way Beach (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 Will-O-Way Beach. 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 Will-O-Way Beach ...
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 Will-O-Way Beach: Will O Way Bch.
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.
Will-O-Way Beach is located in Lake County.
To see how the shape of Ohio's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lake County: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga & Geauga.
Below are the counties that are near Will-O-Way Beach. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Will-O-Way Beach:
- Lake County (The home county of Will-O-Way Beach)
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Oak Hill Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Oak Hill Village is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Village
- Reynolds
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Reynolds is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
- Eastlake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeline
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeline is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeline
- Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
- Timberlake
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Timberlake is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Population from the 2020 Census: 642 people
- Mentor
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mentor-on-the-Lake
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Willoughby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Brentwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brentwood is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood
- Kirtland Hills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kirtland Hills is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtland Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 645 people
- Willowick
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Waite Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Waite Hill is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waite Hill
- Population from the 2020 Census: 452 people
- Ashtabula County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Trumbull
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trumbull
- Harpersfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Harpersfield is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harpersfield
- Hartsgrove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Hartsgrove is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsgrove
- Driftwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Driftwood is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driftwood
- East Trumbull
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- East Trumbull is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Trumbull
- Geneva
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Geneva-on-the-Lake
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mechanicsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mechanicsville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
- Rock Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rome
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rome is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rome
- Austinburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Eagleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Eagleville is located in Ashtabula County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagleville
- Cuyahoga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Euclid
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Richmond Heights
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gates Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Highland Heights
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Nottingham
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nottingham is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottingham
- Mayfield Heights
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Lyndhurst
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bratenahl
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bratenahl is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bratenahl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,153 people
- South Euclid
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland Heights
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- East Cleveland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Geauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Chesterland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Chardon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Bass Lake
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- West Bass Lake is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Bass Lake
- Aquilla
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Aquilla is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquilla
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Yates Corners
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Yates Corners is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Corners
- South Russell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- South Russell is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Russell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,713 people
- Thompson
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- East Claridon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- East Claridon is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Claridon
- Montville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Montville is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montville
- Bainbridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Burton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Huntsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Huntsburg is located in Geauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,641 people
- Portage County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Aurora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Camelot Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Camelot Village is located in Portage County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Village
- Mantua
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hiram
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Streetsboro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Summit County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Reminderville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Reminderville is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reminderville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,643 people
- Northfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Emmons Corner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Emmons Corner is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons Corner
- Twinsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Macedonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Northfield Center
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Northfield Center is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfield Center
- Bosworth ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Bosworth is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosworth
- Boston Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Boston Heights is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,312 people
- Boston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Boston is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boston
- Boston has also been known as:
- Boston Mill
- Helltown
- Hudson Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hudson Village is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson Village
- Hudson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Trumbull County
- The following are listed by their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Mesopotamia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Farmington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Will-O-Way Beach, see our County-by-County Page for Will-O-Way Beach.
Cemeteries Near Will-O-Way Beach ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Will-O-Way Beach.
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 Will-O-Way Beach - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Will-O-Way Beach covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Willoughby Memorial Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willoughby Memorial Gardens
- The Willoughby Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Plains Road Cemetery
- Lost Nation Road Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Willoughby Village Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Waite Hill Village Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kirtland Temple Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mentor Municipal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Willoughby Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Maple Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mentor Municipal Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentor Municipal Cemetery
- The Mentor Municipal Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mentor Cemetery
- Mentor Center Cemetery
- Mentor Twp. Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #42107 <2>
- Wickliffe Village Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mentor Ave. Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Blackbrook Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (233 more) ...
- Chardon Road Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- West Kirtland Twp. Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Kirtland Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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 Will-O-Way Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Will-O-Way Beach.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Will-O-Way Beach, with the one closest to Will-O-Way Beach listed first.
- Reynolds
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Reynolds is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynolds
- Willoughby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mentor
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- West Mentor
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- West Mentor is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Mentor
- Rush Road ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Rush Road is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush Road
- Heisley ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Heisley is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heisley
- Wickliffe
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kirtland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Little Mountain
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Little Mountain is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Mountain
- Euclid
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Noble
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Noble is located in Cuyahoga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noble
- Painesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Fairport Harbor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Grand River
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mayfield
(9 miles [14.5 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 Will-O-Way Beach. See our List of 1890's Communities around Will-O-Way Beach.
Newspapers Published in Will-O-Way Beach ...
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 484 newspapers that have been published in the area around Will-O-Way Beach.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Will-O-Way Beach, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Will-O-Way Beach.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Will-O-Way Beach:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Lake County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Ashtabula County
- Cuyahoga County
- Geauga County
- Portage County
- Summit County
- Trumbull County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Ohio
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 Will-O-Way Beach, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Will-O-Way Beach) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |