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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 Ashland (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 Ashland. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Ashland is located in Hanover County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hanover County: Caroline, Goochland, Henrico, King William, Louisa, New Kent & Spotsylvania.

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

  • Hanover County     (The home county of Ashland)
  • Caroline County
  • Charles City County
    • Roxbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roxbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
      • Roxbury is located in Charles City County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roxbury
      • From Ashland to Roxbury
  • Chesterfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Bon Air
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Chesterfield Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
      • Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
    • Robious
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Midlothian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Bensley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bensley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
      • Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
    • Bensley Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bensley Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
      • Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
    • Drewrys Bluff
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Bellwood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
      • Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
    • Beulah Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beulah Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
      • Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
    • Otterdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Centralia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Centralia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
      • Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Centralia
      • From Ashland to Centralia
    • Chesterfield Court House
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield Court House have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Court House
      • Chesterfield Court House is located in Chesterfield County
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Beazley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Minor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
      • Minor is located in Essex County
    • Millers Tavern
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Dunbrooke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dunbrooke. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
      • Dunbrooke is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dunbrooke
      • From Ashland to Dunbrooke
    • Lloyds
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lloyds. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyds
      • Lloyds is located in Essex County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lloyds
      • From Ashland to Lloyds
  • Goochland County
  • Henrico County
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Cauthornville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Walkerton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Bruington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bruington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruington
      • Bruington is located in King and Queen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bruington
      • From Ashland to Bruington
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Tuck Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Enfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
      • Enfield is located in King William County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enfield
      • From Ashland to Enfield
    • Beulahville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Beulahville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahville
      • Beulahville is located in King William County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Beulahville
      • From Ashland to Beulahville
    • Manquin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Rumford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rumford. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
      • Rumford is located in King William County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rumford
      • From Ashland to Rumford
    • Lanesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lanesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
      • Lanesville is located in King William County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lanesville
      • From Ashland to Lanesville
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Bumpass
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Willowbrook
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Jackson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jackson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Jackson is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jackson
      • From Ashland to Jackson
    • Gays ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gays have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays
      • Gays is located in Louisa County
    • Shelfar
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shelfar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
      • Shelfar is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shelfar
      • From Ashland to Shelfar
    • Harris ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harris have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
      • Harris is located in Louisa County
    • Cuckoo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Mineral
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
      • Mineral is located in Louisa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 529 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mineral <2>
    • Pendleton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pendleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
      • Pendleton is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pendleton
      • From Ashland to Pendleton
    • Vigor
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vigor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
      • Vigor is located in Louisa County
  • New Kent County
    • Tunstall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tunstall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
      • Tunstall is located in New Kent County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tunstall
      • From Ashland to Tunstall
  • Powhatan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Huguenot
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Huguenot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
      • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Huguenot
      • From Ashland to Huguenot
    • Beaumont
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Michaux
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Michaux. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
      • Michaux is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Michaux
      • From Ashland to Michaux
    • Dorset
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dorset. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
      • Dorset is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dorset
      • From Ashland to Dorset
    • Pilkinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pilkinton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
      • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pilkinton
      • From Ashland to Pilkinton
  • Richmond City
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashland, with the one closest to Ashland listed first.
    • Chippenham Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chippenham Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
      • Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
    • Cherry Gardens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Walmsley Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walmsley Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
      • Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
  • Spotsylvania County

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

Cemeteries Near Ashland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ashland.

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 Ashland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ashland had a population of 948 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ashland had a population of 7,908 people.

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

  • South Anna
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Anna have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Anna
    • South Anna is located in Hanover County
  • Taylorsville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • French Hay
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for French Hay have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Hay
    • French Hay is located in Hanover County
  • Peaks
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaks
    • Peaks is located in Hanover County
  • Farrington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farrington have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farrington
    • Farrington is located in Hanover County
  • Glen Allen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ashcake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashcake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcake
    • Ashcake is located in Hanover County
  • Cady
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cady have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cady
    • Cady is located in Hanover County
  • Oliver
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oliver have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
    • Oliver is located in Hanover County
  • Verdon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verdon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
    • Verdon is located in Hanover County
  • Laurel
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Atlee Station
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Goodall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goodall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
      • Goodall is located in Hanover County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Goodall
      • From Ashland to Goodall
    • Erin Shades
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erin Shades have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Shades
      • Erin Shades is located in Henrico County
    • Dumbarton
      (10 miles [16.1 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 Ashland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ashland.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ashland ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashland.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ashland. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ashland and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ashland.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<4> of Ashland.

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 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 Ashland:

The official website for Ashland: www.town.ashland.va.us/

The official website for Hanover County: www.co.hanover.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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- Ashland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ashland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.7588, Longitude: -77.4787    
<5>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.
<6>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 Ashland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025