RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Accomack County >> Belle Haven >> 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 Belle Haven (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 Belle Haven. 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 Belle Haven ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Belle Haven: Belle Hvn. (or less commonly used: Belle Havn.)

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 and doctors 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.

Belle Haven is primarily located in Accomack County. A portion of Belle Haven extends into Northampton 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 Accomack County: Somerset (MD), Lancaster, Middlesex, Northampton & Northumberland.

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

  • Accomack County     (The home county of Belle Haven)
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Westland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
      • Westland is located in Lancaster County
    • Ocran
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocran. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ocran
      • From Belle Haven to Ocran
  • Mathews County
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Stingray Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sandy Bottom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
    • Amburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Exmore
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Wardtown
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wardtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardtown
      • Wardtown is located in Northampton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wardtown
      • From Belle Haven to Wardtown
    • Nassawadox
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jamesville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Cove Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Cove Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
      • Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
    • Marionville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Sheps End
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Birdsnest
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Bridgetown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bridgetown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown
      • Bridgetown is located in Northampton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bridgetown
      • From Belle Haven to Bridgetown
    • Machipongo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Eastville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cheriton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cheriton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheriton
      • Cheriton is located in Northampton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cheriton <2>
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Fleeton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lynhams
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lynhams. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lynhams
      • From Belle Haven to Lynhams
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Crisfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Daugherty Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daugherty Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daugherty Town
      • Daugherty Town is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Lawsonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawsonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonia
      • Lawsonia is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Tylerton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Belle Haven ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belle Haven.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Belle Haven had a population of 218 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Belle Haven had a population of 500 people.

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

  • Exmore
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hadlock
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hadlock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hadlock
    • Hadlock is located in Northampton County
  • Wardtown
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wardtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardtown
    • Wardtown is located in Northampton County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Wardtown
    • From Belle Haven to Wardtown
  • Mappsburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mappsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mappsburg
    • Mappsburg is located in Accomack County
  • Painter
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Craddockville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Craddockville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craddockville
    • Craddockville is located in Accomack County
  • Davis Wharf
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Davis Wharf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Wharf
    • Davis Wharf is located in Accomack County
  • Nassawadox
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Nandua
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nandua have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nandua
    • Nandua is located in Accomack County
  • Trower
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trower have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trower
    • Trower is located in Accomack County
  • Keller
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Pungoteague
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pungoteague have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pungoteague
    • Pungoteague is located in Accomack County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pungoteague <2>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Jamesville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Franktown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franktown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franktown
      • Franktown is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franktown <2>
    • Marionville
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Belle Haven. See our List of 1890's Communities around Belle Haven.

Newspapers Published in Belle Haven ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belle Haven.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belle Haven, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belle Haven.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Belle Haven:

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

The official website for Accomack County: www.co.accomack.va.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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 Belle Haven, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Belle Haven) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Belle Haven. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5540, Longitude: -75.8207    









 

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