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 Brook Vale (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 Brook Vale. 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 and hospitals 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.
Brook Vale is located in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County: Middlesex, Northumberland & Richmond.
Below are the counties that are near Brook Vale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brook Vale:
- Lancaster County (The home county of Brook Vale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Lankford Corner
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
- Richtown
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Richtown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
- Kilmarnock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Merry Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
- Alfonso
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Alfonso is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
- Griffins Landing
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
- Irvington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ottoman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
- Weems
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Ocran
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ocran is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
- Millenbeck
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Monaskon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
- Accomack County
- Tangier
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Bowlers Wharf
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
- Dunnsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Tappahannock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Millers Tavern
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Millers Tavern is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Tavern
- Dunbrooke
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Dunbrooke is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
- Gloucester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Freeport
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Freeport is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Glenns
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Glenns is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
- North
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Adner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Adner is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
- Ark
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ark is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
- Gloucester Courthouse
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
- Money
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Money is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Belroi
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Belroi is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
- Roanes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Clay Bank
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
- White Marsh
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- York View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- York View is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Plain View
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Plain View is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
- Contra
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Contra is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
- Mattaponi
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cumnor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
- King and Queen Court House
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Crouch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Crouch is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- West Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Romancoke
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Mathews County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Mathews
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cardinal
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cardinal is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
- Diggs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ruff
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Ruff is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
- Beaverlett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
- Onemo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Onemo is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
- Peary
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Peary is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
- Susan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Susan is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
- New Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Urbanna
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Harmony Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
- Locust Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Remlik
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Nesting
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Nesting is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
- Amburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Amburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
- Grafton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Grafton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Hartfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wilton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Saluda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Stingray Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
- New Kent County
- Plum Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- Northampton County
- Pleasant Cove Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Remo
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Remo is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
- Lynhams
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
- Blackwells
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
- Fleeton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
- Lara
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lara is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
- Reedville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Heathsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Ophelia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sunnybank
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
- Rainswood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
- Bundick
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bundick is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
- Coan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Coan is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
- Richmond County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Downings
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Downings is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
- Simonson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Simonson is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
- Farnham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Farnham is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
- Simons Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
- Emmerton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Emmerton is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
- Rich Neck
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rich Neck is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
- Warsaw
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tallent Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Tallent Town is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
- Naylors
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Naylors is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Kinsale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Griffiths Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
- Tucker Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
- Machodoc
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
- Nomini Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
- Hinnom
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
- Saint Mary's County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Scotland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Gum Landing
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Gum Landing is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Landing
- Piney Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Dameron
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dameron is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dameron
- Drayden
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Marys City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Tall Timbers
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Valley Lee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
- Somerset County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Rhodes Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
- Ewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Island
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Island is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island
- Tylerton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brook Vale, see our County-by-County Page for Brook Vale.
Cemeteries Near Brook Vale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brook Vale.
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 Brook Vale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brook Vale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Willie Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Morattico Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Beane Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sharon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Grace Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Francis De Sales Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Christ Church Burying Ground
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Old St. Johns Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Beulah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Corrotoman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (141 more) ...
- Claybrook Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Irvington Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Irvington Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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>
While we didn't find Brook Vale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Brook Vale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Brook Vale, with the one closest to Brook Vale listed first.
- Merry Point
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
- Kilmarnock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wicomico Church
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Browns Store
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Browns Store is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Store
- Lynhams
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
- Mollusk
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ottoman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
- Irvington
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Millenbeck
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Weems
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Mila
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mila is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mila
- Blackwells
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Monaskon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
- White Stone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fairport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Fairport is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brook Vale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brook Vale.
Newspapers Published in Brook Vale ...
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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brook Vale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brook Vale, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brook Vale.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Brook Vale:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Lancaster County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Accomack County
- Essex County
- Gloucester County
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Mathews County
- Middlesex County
- New Kent County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Richmond County
- Westmoreland County
- Saint Mary's County
- Somerset County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 Brook Vale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Brook Vale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |