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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 Bensley (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 Bensley. 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 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.

Bensley is located in Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County: Amelia, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Henrico, Hopewell City, Prince George & Richmond.

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

  • Chesterfield County     (The home county of Bensley)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Ampt Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Ampt Hill is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ampt Hill
    • Bensley Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
    • Bellwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Drewrys Bluff
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
    • Beulah Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
    • Centralia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
    • Chesterfield Court House
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Chesterfield Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
    • Chester
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Bon Air
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Meadowville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Meadowville is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
    • Fendley ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Fendley is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fendley
    • Screamersville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Screamersville is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamersville
  • Amelia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Ammon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ammon is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
    • Masons Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
    • Earls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Earls is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earls
    • Amelia Court House
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Caroline County
    • Burruss Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
  • Charles City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Kimages
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimages is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
    • Roxbury
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Roxbury is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
    • Westover
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Westover is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
    • Charles City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Ruthville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Ruthville is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
  • Colonial Heights City
    • Colonial Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Dinwiddie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Grant Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Grant Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Village
    • Addison
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Addison is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
    • Maitland Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Maitland Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maitland Village
    • Sutherland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Rowanta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Rowanta is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowanta
    • Hebron
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hebron is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
    • Waldemar ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Waldemar is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waldemar
  • Goochland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Oilville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Thorncliff
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
    • Maidens
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Goochland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hanover County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Mechanicsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Atlee Station
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
    • Westwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Westwood is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Gwathmey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
    • Ashland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hylas
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hylas is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
    • Hanover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Casco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Casco is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
    • Rockville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Goodall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Goodall is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
    • Taylorsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
    • Vontay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Vontay is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vontay
    • Doswell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Henrico County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Oakland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Oakland is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Varina Grove
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Varina Grove is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varina Grove
    • Varina
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Varina is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varina
    • Fort Lee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Fort Lee is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
    • Montrose
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Montrose is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Deep Bottom
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Deep Bottom is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Bottom
    • Turner Woods
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Turner Woods is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turner Woods
    • Heckler Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Heckler Village is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heckler Village
    • Oak Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Oak Hill is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
    • Sandston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • East Highland Park
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • East Highland Park is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Highland Park
    • Fair Oaks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Highland Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hopewell City
    • Hopewell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • King and Queen County
    • Walkerton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Walkerton is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerton
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Enfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Enfield is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Manquin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Lanesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Lanesville is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
    • Rumford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rumford is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
    • Tuck Fork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Tuck Fork is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
  • New Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Tunstall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Tunstall is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
    • New Kent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Petersburg City
    • Petersburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Powhatan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Huguenot
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
    • Dorset
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Dorset is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
    • Pilkinton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
    • Michaux
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Michaux is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
    • Beaumont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
  • Prince George County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Garysville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Garysville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
    • Derby ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Derby is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
    • Newville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Newville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
    • Burrowsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Burrowsville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
    • Talpa ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Talpa is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talpa
  • Richmond City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Montrose Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Montrose Heights is located in Richmond City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose Heights
    • Richmond
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bensley, with the one closest to Bensley listed first.
    • Walmsley Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
    • Cherry Gardens
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Cherry Gardens is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Gardens
    • Chippenham Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
  • Surry County
    • Claremont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Claremont is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people

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

Cemeteries Near Bensley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bensley.

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 Bensley - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bensley covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Cary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Laurel Hill UMC Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill UMC Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Laurel Hill UMC Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the west of Varina.
    • The Laurel Hill UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2205347 <3>
  • Centralia Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Old Lane Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Ft. Harrison National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Varina Episcopal Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Maury Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Salem Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Perdue Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (259 more) ...
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • First Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • James Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Drewrys Bluff
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
  • Centralia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
  • Chesterfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Varina Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Varina Grove is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varina Grove
  • Chester
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Fort Lee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fort Lee is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
  • Cotman ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Cotman is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotman
  • Fendley ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Fendley is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fendley
  • Meadowville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Meadowville is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
  • Bon Air
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Walthall
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Walthall is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walthall
  • Seven Pines
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Seven Pines is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Pines
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Fair Oaks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Highland Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Brook Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Brook Hill is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hill

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

Newspapers Published in Bensley ...

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 461 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bensley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bensley, there are papers which were published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bensley.

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 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 Bensley:

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>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- Bensley) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Bensley, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.