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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 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 occur.

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

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Belle Haven. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Belle Haven.

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 southeast 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 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.

Belle Haven is located in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County: Charles (MD), Montgomery (MD), Prince George's (MD), Arlington, Falls Church City, Loudoun & Prince William.

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:

  • Fairfax County     (The home county of Belle Haven)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Huntington
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Huntington is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
    • Penn Daw Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Penn Daw Village is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Daw Village
    • Burgundy Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Burgundy Village is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgundy Village
    • Groveton
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Groveton is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveton
    • Hybla Valley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Hybla Valley is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hybla Valley
    • Rose Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Rose Hill is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
    • Fort Hunt
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Fort Hunt is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hunt
    • Lincolnia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lincolnia is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincolnia
    • Mount Vernon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Franconia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Baileys Crossroads
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Barcroft
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lake Barcroft is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Barcroft
  • Alexandria City
  • Arlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Arlington Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Arlington Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Village
    • Brandon Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Brandon Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Buckingham
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Arlington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Colonial Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Lyon Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Lyon Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Village
    • Cherrydale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Riverwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Garden City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Garden City is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Williamsburg Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Williamsburg Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Village
  • Fairfax City
  • Falls Church City
  • King George County
  • Loudoun County
  • Manassas City
  • Manassas Park City
    • Manassas Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Prince William County
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Widewater Village at Stafford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Aquia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Aquia Harbour
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Aquia Harbour is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquia Harbour
    • King James Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • King James Village is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King James Village
    • Meadowood Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadowood Village is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowood Village
    • Canterbury Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Canterbury Village is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
    • Loy Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Anne Arundel County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Pindell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Greenock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Harwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Jewell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Lothian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Maryland City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Maryland City is located in Anne Arundel County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maryland City
    • Stonegate Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Stonegate Village is located in Anne Arundel County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate Village
    • Friendship
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Tracys Landing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Crofton Village Green
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Crofton Village Green is located in Anne Arundel County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crofton Village Green
    • Crofton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Crofton is located in Anne Arundel County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crofton
    • Davidsonville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvert County (MD)
  • Charles County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Bryans Road
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • South Hampton Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • South Hampton Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hampton Village
    • Freedom Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Freedom Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
    • Bennsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Bennsville is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennsville
    • Pomonkey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Potomac Heights
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Potomac Heights is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Heights
    • Indian Head
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Acton Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Acton Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton Village
    • Mattawoman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Mattawoman is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawoman
    • Waldorf
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Westlake Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Westlake Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Village
    • Riverview Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Riverview Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Village
  • Howard County (MD)
  • Montgomery County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Brookmont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Brookmont is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookmont
    • Chevy Chase Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Village is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,050 people
    • Somerset
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Somerset is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
    • Bethesda
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Chevy Chase Section Five
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Section Five is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Five
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
    • Chevy Chase Section Three
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Section Three is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Three
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 794 people
    • Chevy Chase
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Glen Echo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Martin's Additions
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Martin's Additions is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin's Additions
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
    • Takoma Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Bradmoor
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Cabin John
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Prince George's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Fort Foote Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fort Foote Village is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Foote Village
    • Forest Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Heights is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,558 people
    • Oxon Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fort Washington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Friendly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Friendly is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly
    • Temple Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Hillcrest Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hillcrest Heights is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest Heights
    • Marlow Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Piscataway ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Camp Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Suitland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Accokeek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Saint Mary's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Belle Haven, with the one closest to Belle Haven listed first.
    • Charlotte Hall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Golden Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Golden Beach is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Beach
    • Budds Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Mechanicsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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.

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 Belle Haven - one of the links might be able to help.

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.<3>

While we didn't find Belle Haven in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Belle Haven.

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

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 81 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 4 miles [6.4 km]<4>. 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 turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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:

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 Belle Haven, 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- Belle Haven) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.