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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 Chestnut Hill (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 Chestnut Hill. 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 Chestnut Hill ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

Another variation: Chestnuthill.

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

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 east 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.

Chestnut Hill is primarily located in Richmond County. A portion of Chestnut Hill extends into Richmond City.

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 Richmond County: Essex, Lancaster, Northumberland & Westmoreland.

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

  • Richmond County     (The home county of Chestnut Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Cherry Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cherry Gardens is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Gardens
    • Walmsley Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
    • Chippenham Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
  • Amelia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Masons Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
    • Ammon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Ammon is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
  • Caroline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Burruss Corner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
    • Ruther Glen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Penola
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Penola is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
    • DeJarnette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • DeJarnette is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeJarnette
  • Charles City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Roxbury
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Roxbury is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
    • Kimages
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimages is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
    • Westover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Westover is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
    • Charles City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Ruthville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruthville is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
  • Chesterfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Ampt Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Ampt Hill is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ampt Hill
    • Chesterfield Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
    • Bon Air
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Bensley Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
    • Bensley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
    • Bellwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Drewrys Bluff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
    • Beulah Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
    • Robious
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Robious is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
    • Centralia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
    • Chesterfield Court House
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Midlothian
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Colonial Heights City
    • Colonial Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Dinwiddie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Grant Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Grant Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Village
    • Addison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Addison is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
    • Maitland Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Maitland Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maitland Village
    • Sutherland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
  • Essex County
    • Minor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Minor is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
  • Goochland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Oilville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Thorncliff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
    • Goochland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Maidens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Sandy Hook
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandy Hook is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
  • Hanover County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Mechanicsville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Atlee Station
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
    • Gwathmey
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
    • Westwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Westwood is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
    • Ashland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Hanover
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Hylas
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hylas is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
    • Taylorsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
    • Casco
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Casco is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
    • Rockville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Goodall
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Goodall is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
    • Doswell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Henrico County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Oak Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Oak Hill is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
    • East Highland Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • East Highland Park is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Highland Park
    • Heckler Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Heckler Village is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heckler Village
    • Montrose
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Montrose is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Chamberlayne
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Chamberlayne is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlayne
    • Dumbarton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
    • Lakeside
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakeside is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
    • Oakland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Oakland is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Highland Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Fair Oaks
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
    • Fort Lee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fort Lee is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
    • Sandston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hopewell City
    • Hopewell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Walkerton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Walkerton is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerton
    • Bruington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bruington is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruington
    • Cauthornville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cauthornville is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cauthornville
    • King and Queen Court House
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Enfield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Enfield is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Manquin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Tuck Fork
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Tuck Fork is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
    • Rumford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rumford is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
    • Lanesville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lanesville is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
    • Beulahville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Beulahville is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahville
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Willowbrook
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
    • Shelfar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Shelfar is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
    • Jackson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jackson is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
  • New Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Tunstall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Tunstall is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
    • New Kent
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Petersburg City
    • Petersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
  • Powhatan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Huguenot
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
    • Dorset
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Dorset is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
    • Pilkinton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
    • Michaux
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Michaux is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
    • Beaumont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
  • Prince George County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Garysville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Garysville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
    • Burrowsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Burrowsville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
    • Newville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Newville is located in Prince George County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
  • Richmond City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Hill, with the one closest to Chestnut Hill listed first.
    • Richmond
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Montrose Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Montrose Heights is located in Richmond City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose Heights

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

Cemeteries Near Chestnut Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chestnut Hill.

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 Chestnut Hill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Barton Heights Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Holy Cross Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Shockoe Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockoe Hill Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Richmond.
    • The Shockoe Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Schockoe Cemetery
    • Shockoe Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #52134 <2>
  • Hebrew Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Montezuma Plantation
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Beth El Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beth El Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Beth El Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the north of Richmond.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1848688 <2>
  • Riverview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Hollywood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Johns Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Lawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the north of Richmond.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #154652 <2>
  • Continue List   (233 more) ...

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 Chestnut Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chestnut Hill.

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

  • Brook Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Brook Hill is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hill
  • Ellerson
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Ellerson is located in Hanover County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerson
  • Dumbarton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
  • Highland Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Fort Lee
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Lee is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
  • Fair Oaks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
  • Pole Green
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pole Green is located in Hanover County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pole Green
  • Atlee Station
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
  • Westham
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Westham is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westham
  • Bon Air
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Seven Pines
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Seven Pines is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Pines
  • Laurel
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Laurel is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • French Hay
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • French Hay is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Hay
    • Glen Allen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashcake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Ashcake is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcake

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

Newspapers Published in Chestnut Hill ...

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 Chestnut Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chestnut Hill, there are papers which were published within Less than 2 miles<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chestnut Hill.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Chestnut Hill:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chestnut Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Chestnut Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.