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 Alpha (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 Alpha. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Alpha is located in Buckingham County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Buckingham County: Albemarle, Appomattox, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Nelson & Prince Edward.
Below are the counties that are near Alpha. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Alpha:
- Buckingham County (The home county of Alpha)
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Gravel Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Gravel Hill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
- Gold Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gold Hill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Dillwyn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Arvonia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Buckingham
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Enonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Enonville is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enonville
- Bridgeport
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Alcoma
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Alcoma is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcoma
- Mount Vinco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mount Vinco is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vinco
- New Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- New Canton is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
- Centenary
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Centenary is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centenary
- Curdsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Curdsville is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curdsville
- Andersonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Warren
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Warren is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Scottsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Stony Point
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Stony Point is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Porters
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Porters is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porters
- Keene
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Esmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Esmont is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmont
- Woodridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Woodridge is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodridge
- Alberene
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Alberene is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberene
- Covesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Covesville is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covesville
- North Garden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rose Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rose Hill is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Simeon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Simeon is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simeon
- Shadwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Shadwell is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadwell
- Amelia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Rodophil
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rodophil is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodophil
- Paineville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Paineville is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paineville
- Lodore
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lodore is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodore
- Amelia Court House
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Masons Corner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Walkers Ford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Walkers Ford is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkers Ford
- New Glasgow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- New Glasgow is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Glasgow
- Appomattox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Hurtsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hurtsville is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsville
- Bent Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Bent Creek is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
- Evergreen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Pamplin City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Appomattox
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Beckham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Beckham is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckham
- Mineral ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mineral is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Belmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Belmont is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Charlottesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Trents Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Trents Mill is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trents Mill
- Trenton Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Trenton Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton Mills
- Cumberland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Guinea Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Guinea Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guinea Mills
- Lakeside Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lakeside Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
- Cotton Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cotton Town is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Town
- Clinton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Clinton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Fluvanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Nicholas
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Nicholas is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholas
- Weber City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fork Union
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Antioch
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Antioch is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Columbia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Monticello
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Lake Monticello is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Monticello
- Kents Store
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kents Store is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kents Store
- Goochland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Fife
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Caledonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Caledonia is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Enon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Enon is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
- Tabscott
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tabscott is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabscott
- Hadensville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Goochland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Maidens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sandy Hook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Hook is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Nelson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Warminster
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Warminster is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster
- Schuyler
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Norwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Norwood is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Rockfish
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rockfish is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfish
- Gladstone
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Faber
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Buffalo Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Springs is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Springs
- Shipman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Shipman is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipman
- Arrington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Adial
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Adial is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adial
- Old Myndus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Old Myndus is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Myndus
- Colleen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Colleen is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colleen
- Nottoway County
- Burkeville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Powhatan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Belona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Belona is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belona
- Beaumont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Michaux
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Michaux is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
- Prince Edward County
- The following are listed by their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Farmville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Tuggle
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Tuggle is located in Prince Edward County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuggle
- Blake Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Blake Village is located in Prince Edward County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake Village
- Hampden - Sydney
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hampden - Sydney is located in Prince Edward County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden - Sydney
- Five Forks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Five Forks is located in Prince Edward County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Darlington Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Darlington Heights is located in Prince Edward County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington Heights
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Alpha, see our County-by-County Page for Alpha.
Cemeteries Near Alpha ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alpha.
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 Alpha - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Alpha covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Wade Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Rocky Mount Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Thomas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Whitlock Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Allen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Shepherd Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Newton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Cornerstone Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Buckingham Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham Baptist Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Buckingham Baptist Church Cemetery is located outside and to the southwest of Gold Hill.
- The Buckingham Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- County Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2197478 <2>
- Hanes Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Branch Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (170 more) ...
- Mourning Valley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ayers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bethlehem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
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 in 1895, Alpha had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Alpha, with the one closest to Alpha listed first.
- Gravel Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Gravel Hill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gravel Hill
- Dillwyn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gold Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gold Hill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Eldridge Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Eldridge Mill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldridge Mill
- Allenslevel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Allenslevel is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenslevel
- Arvonia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Enonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Enonville is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enonville
- Lawford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lawford is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Tally ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Tally is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tally
- Bridgeport
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgeport is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Mount Vinco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mount Vinco is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vinco
- Trenton Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Trenton Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton Mills
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Gilliamsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gilliamsville is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilliamsville
- Centenary
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Centenary is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centenary
- New Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- New Canton is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Alpha. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alpha.
Newspapers Published in Alpha ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alpha.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alpha, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alpha.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Alpha:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Buckingham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Amelia County
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Charlottesville City
- Cumberland County
- Fluvanna County
- Goochland County
- Nelson County
- Nottoway County
- Powhatan County
- Prince Edward County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 Alpha, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Alpha) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |