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 Blakes (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 Blakes. 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 Blakes ...
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.
While the name of this community is Blakes, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Blakes may originally have been Blake's.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Blakes might be written as Blake.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Blakes. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Blakes.
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.
Blakes is located in Mathews 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 Mathews County: Gloucester & Middlesex.
Below are the counties that are near Blakes. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blakes:
- Mathews County (The home county of Blakes)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Cardinal
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cardinal is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
- Mathews
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Diggs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ruff
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ruff is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
- Beaverlett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
- Onemo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Onemo is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
- Susan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Susan is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
- Peary
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Peary is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
- New Point
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Accomack County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Belle Haven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tangier
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Essex County
- Bowlers Wharf
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
- Gloucester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- North
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Freeport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Freeport is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Gloucester Courthouse
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
- Money
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Money is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Roanes
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Ark
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Ark is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
- White Marsh
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rowes Haven
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Rowes Haven is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Haven
- Belroi
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Belroi is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
- Ordinary
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Adner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Adner is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
- Glenns
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Glenns is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
- Hampton City
- Newgate Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
- James City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Norge
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jamestown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Plain View
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Plain View is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
- Mattaponi
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- King and Queen Court House
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- West Point
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Romancoke
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Westland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Westland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
- White Stone
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Irvington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ocran
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ocran is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
- Weems
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Millenbeck
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Kilmarnock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Ottoman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
- Merry Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
- Richtown
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Richtown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
- Lankford Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
- Griffins Landing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Amburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Amburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Wilton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Stingray Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
- Hartfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Grafton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grafton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Harmony Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
- Locust Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Saluda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Urbanna
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Remlik
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nesting
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nesting is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
- New Kent County
- Plum Point
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- Newport News City
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Lee Hall
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
- Red Hill Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
- Bernard Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
- Newport News
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Northampton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Jamesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Jamesville is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
- Pleasant Cove Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
- Bridgetown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Bridgetown is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown
- Cherrystone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cherrystone is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrystone
- Cape Charles
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Eastville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Birdsnest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Machipongo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bayview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bayview is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
- Cheriton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pat Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pat Town is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pat Town
- Nassawadox
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Lynhams
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
- Remo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Remo is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
- Fleeton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
- Blackwells
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
- Reedville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lara
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lara is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
- Sunnybank
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
- Ophelia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Heathsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rainswood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
- Poquoson City
- Poquoson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Richmond County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Simonson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Simonson is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
- Downings
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Downings is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
- Simons Corner
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
- Farnham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Farnham is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
- Surry County
- Homewood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Williamsburg City
- Williamsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Yorktown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lackey
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lackey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
- Barlows Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Barlows Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
- Oaktree
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
- Charles Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Charles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
- Rochambeau Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rochambeau Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
- Dare
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dare is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
- Yorkville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Yorkville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blakes, see our County-by-County Page for Blakes.
Cemeteries Near Blakes ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blakes.
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 Blakes - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blakes covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Mathews Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Smither Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mathews Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hudgins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Trinity Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- First Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Powell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Gosehn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Marchant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (151 more) ...
- Emmaus Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gwynns Island Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Providence Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Blakes had a population of 21 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blakes, with the one closest to Blakes listed first.
- Cobbs Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Hudgins
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hudgins is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudgins
- Cricket Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cricket Hill is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket Hill
- Wilton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Grinels
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Grinels is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinels
- Fitchetts
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fitchetts is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitchetts
- Bushy
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bushy is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushy
- Diggs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bohannon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Bohannon is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohannon
- New Upton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- New Upton is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Upton
- Ware Neck
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ware Neck is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware Neck
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Port Haywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Laban
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Laban is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laban
- Harmony Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blakes. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blakes.
Newspapers Published in Blakes ...
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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blakes.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blakes, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blakes.
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 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 Blakes:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Mathews County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Accomack County
- Essex County
- Gloucester County
- Hampton City
- James City County
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Middlesex County
- New Kent County
- Newport News City
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Poquoson City
- Richmond County
- Surry County
- Williamsburg City
- York County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Blakes, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Blakes) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |