RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Hanover County >> Beaverdam >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Virginia

The Commemorative Quarter for Virginia





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 Beaverdam (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 Beaverdam. 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 Beaverdam ...

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.

Another variation: Beaver Dam.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Beaverdam 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 Beaverdam. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Beaverdam:

  • Hanover County     (The home county of Beaverdam)
  • Caroline County
  • Chesterfield County
  • Fluvanna County
  • Fredericksburg City
  • Goochland County
  • Henrico County
  • King George County
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaverdam, with the one closest to Beaverdam listed first.
    • Tuck Fork
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Beulahville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Enfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Enfield
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaverdam, with the one closest to Beaverdam listed first.
    • Bumpass
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Harris ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 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
    • Jackson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Jackson
    • Gays ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Willowbrook
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cuckoo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Pendleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Pendleton
    • Shelfar
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Shelfar
    • Mineral
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Vigor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Louisa
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisa
      • Louisa is located in Louisa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,764 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisa <2>
    • Bells Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
  • Powhatan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaverdam, with the one closest to Beaverdam listed first.
    • Beaumont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Michaux
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Michaux
    • Huguenot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • 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 Beaverdam to Huguenot
  • Richmond City
  • Richmond County
    • Chippenham Village
      (28 miles [45.1 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
  • Spotsylvania County
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beaverdam, with the one closest to Beaverdam listed first.
    • Chatham Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Village
      • Chatham Village is located in Stafford County
    • Hampstead Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hampstead Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampstead Village
      • Hampstead Village is located in Stafford County
    • Falmouth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <2>
    • Grafton Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grafton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton Village
      • Grafton Village is located in Stafford County
    • Little Falls Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Falls Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls Village
      • Little Falls Village is located in Stafford County
    • Berea
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
      • Berea is located in Stafford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berea
      • From Beaverdam to Berea
    • Stafford Lakes Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stafford Lakes Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford Lakes Village
      • Stafford Lakes Village is located in Stafford County
    • Falmouth Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Village
      • Falmouth Village is located in Stafford County
    • Northridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • North Potomac
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Beaverdam ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Beaverdam.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Beaverdam, with the one closest to Beaverdam 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 in 1895, Beaverdam had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Tylers
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Hewlett
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hewlett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewlett
    • Hewlett is located in Hanover County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Hewlett
    • From Beaverdam to Hewlett
  • Bumpass
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Chilesburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilesburg
    • Chilesburg is located in Caroline County
  • Noel
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Noel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Noel
    • Noel is located in Hanover County
  • Partlow
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Locust Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Locust Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Creek
    • Locust Creek is located in Louisa County
  • Mabelton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mabelton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabelton
    • Mabelton is located in Hanover County
  • Montpelier
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Oliver
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Golansville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Golansville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golansville
    • Golansville is located in Caroline County
  • Harris ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 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
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Longcreek ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longcreek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longcreek
      • Longcreek is located in Louisa County
    • Verdon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Lewiston
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Beaverdam ...

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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around Beaverdam.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Beaverdam, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Beaverdam.

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 Beaverdam:

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

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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Beaverdam) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Beaverdam. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9415, Longitude: -77.6543    
<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 Beaverdam, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025