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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 Birch Town (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 Birch Town. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Birch Town is located in Accomack 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 Birch Town. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Birch Town:

  • Accomack County     (The home county of Birch Town)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birch Town, with the one closest to Birch Town listed first.
    • Chincoteague
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chincoteague have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chincoteague
      • Chincoteague is located in Accomack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,866 people
    • Sinnickson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinnickson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
      • Sinnickson is located in Accomack County
    • Franklin City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
      • Franklin City is located in Accomack County
    • Greenbackville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Sign Post
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
      • Sign Post is located in Accomack County
    • Wattsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
      • Wattsville is located in Accomack County
    • Temperanceville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Mappsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Withams
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withams
      • Withams is located in Accomack County
    • Groton Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groton Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton Town
      • Groton Town is located in Accomack County
    • Hallwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
      • Hallwood is located in Accomack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Modest Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Modest Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Modest Town
      • Modest Town is located in Accomack County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Modest Town <2>
    • Nelsonia
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelsonia
      • Nelsonia is located in Accomack County
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birch Town, with the one closest to Birch Town listed first.
    • West Pocomoke
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Pocomoke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
      • West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Rehobeth
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rehobeth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rehobeth
      • Rehobeth is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rehobeth <2>
    • Costen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Costen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
      • Costen is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Tulls Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulls Corner
      • Tulls Corner is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Westover
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westover have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
      • Westover is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westover <2>
    • Annemessix Towne ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annemessix Towne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annemessix Towne
      • Annemessix Towne is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Manokin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manokin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manokin
      • Manokin is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Lawsonia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • 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)
    • Princess Anne
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Princess Anne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princess Anne
      • Princess Anne is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,492 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Princess Anne <2>
    • Somersett Town ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Somersett Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
      • Somersett Town is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Upper Fairmount
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upper Fairmount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Fairmount
      • Upper Fairmount is located in Somerset County (MD)
    • Crisfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crisfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crisfield
      • Crisfield is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,534 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crisfield <2>
    • Daugherty Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • 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)
  • Wicomico County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birch Town, with the one closest to Birch Town listed first.
    • Whiton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whiton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
      • Whiton is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Powellville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
      • Powellville is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Allen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allen have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Allen is located in Wicomico County (MD)
    • Fruitland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fruitland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
      • Fruitland is located in Wicomico County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,326 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fruitland <2>
  • Worcester County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Birch Town, with the one closest to Birch Town listed first.
    • Stockton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
      • Stockton is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <2>
    • Girdletree
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Girdletree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
      • Girdletree is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Pocomoke City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pocomoke City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
      • Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,095 people
      • Former names for Pocomoke City:
      • New Town
      • Stevens Landing
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocomoke City <2>
    • Snow Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
      • Snow Hill is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,046 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Snow Hill <2>
    • Cedartown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedartown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
      • Cedartown is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Newark
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Berlin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berlin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
      • Berlin is located in Worcester County (MD)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berlin <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Birch Town ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Birch Town.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Birch Town, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Birch Town.

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 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 Birch Town:

Cemeteries Near Birch Town ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Birch Town.

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

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

  • Mechanics Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mechanics Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mechanics Cemetery
  • Red Mens Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ridge Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ridge Cemetery
  • Union Greenbackville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Union Franklin City Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Franklin City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Franklin City Cemetery
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hope Cemetery
  • Remson Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Remson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Remson Cemetery
  • Portersville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Gunby Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gunby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gunby Cemetery
  • Wesley Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wesley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wesley Cemetery
  • Church Street Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Church Street Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Church Street Cemetery
  • Continue List   (91 more) ...
    • St. Marks Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marks Cemetery
    • Mt. Sinai Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hancock Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hancock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hancock Cemetery

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>

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

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

  • Sinnickson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinnickson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
    • Sinnickson is located in Accomack County
  • Greenbackville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Horntown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horntown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horntown
    • Horntown is located in Accomack County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Horntown <2>
  • Franklin City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
    • Franklin City is located in Accomack County
  • Atlantic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlantic have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
    • Atlantic is located in Accomack County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Atlantic <2>
  • Wattsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
    • Wattsville is located in Accomack County
  • Welbourne
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Welbourne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welbourne
    • Welbourne is located in Worcester County (MD)
  • Temperanceville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Stockton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
    • Stockton is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stockton <2>
  • New Church
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Church have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Church
    • New Church is located in Accomack County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Church <2>
  • Horsey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Horsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsey
    • Horsey is located in Accomack County
  • Mappsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Hallwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
      • Hallwood is located in Accomack County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
    • Goodwill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodwill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
      • Goodwill is located in Worcester County (MD)
    • Girdletree
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Girdletree have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
      • Girdletree is located in Worcester County (MD)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Birch Town. 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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Birch Town) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Birch Town. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9204, Longitude: -75.3685       In this case, the coordinates for Birch Town have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Birch Town, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024