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 Chincoteague (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 Chincoteague. 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 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.
Chincoteague is located in Accomack 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 Accomack County: Somerset (MD), Lancaster, Middlesex, Northampton & Northumberland.
Below are the counties that are near Chincoteague. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chincoteague:
- Accomack County (The home county of Chincoteague)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- Birch Town
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Birch Town is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birch Town
- Franklin City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sinnickson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Sign Post
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sign Post is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Post
- Wattsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Wattsville is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Atlantic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Temperanceville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Withams
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Withams is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Withams
- Groton Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Groton Town is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groton Town
- Mappsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hallwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Hallwood is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 199 people
- Somerset County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- West Pocomoke
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Pocomoke is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pocomoke
- Costen
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Costen is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Costen
- Rehobeth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Westover
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kingston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Kingston is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingston
- Tulls Corner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Tulls Corner is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulls Corner
- Annemessix Towne ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Annemessix Towne is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annemessix Towne
- Manokin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Manokin is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manokin
- Princess Anne
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Somersett Town ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Somersett Town is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somersett Town
- Upper Fairmount
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Upper Fairmount is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Fairmount
- Lawsonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Lawsonia is located in Somerset County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonia
- Wicomico County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- Whiton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Whiton is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whiton
- Powellville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Powellville is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellville
- Allen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allen is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Fruitland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Hope
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- New Hope is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Parsonsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pittsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- White Plains
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- White Plains is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Willards
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Dogwood Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dogwood Village is located in Wicomico County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Village
- Worcester County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- Stockton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Girdletree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Pocomoke City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pocomoke City is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke City
- 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 <1>
- Snow Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Cedartown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Cedartown is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedartown
- Newark
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Berlin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Berlin is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,940 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Berlin <1>
- West Ocean City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- West Ocean City is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Ocean City
- Whaleyville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Ocean City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chincoteague, see our County-by-County Page for Chincoteague.
Cemeteries Near Chincoteague ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chincoteague.
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 Chincoteague - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chincoteague covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- Ridge Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Red Mens Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mechanics Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Union Franklin City Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Union Greenbackville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Portersville Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Gunby Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wesley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Hope Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Church Street Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- St. Marks Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Remson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (99 more) ...
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Spring Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
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 Chincoteague in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chincoteague.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chincoteague, with the one closest to Chincoteague listed first.
- Franklin City
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Franklin City is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin City
- Greenbackville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sinnickson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sinnickson is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinnickson
- Horntown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Stockton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Welbourne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Welbourne is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welbourne
- Wattsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Wattsville is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Atlantic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- New Church
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Girdletree
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Girdletree is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdletree
- Temperanceville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Boxiron
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Boxiron is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boxiron
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Goodwill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Goodwill is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwill
- Horsey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Horsey is located in Accomack County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horsey
- Scarboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Scarboro is located in Worcester County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scarboro
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chincoteague. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chincoteague.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Chincoteague ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chincoteague.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Chincoteague. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Chincoteague and those printed in the larger area surrounding Chincoteague.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<4> of Chincoteague.
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 Chincoteague:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Accomack County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Somerset County
- Wicomico County
- Worcester 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 Chincoteague, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Chincoteague) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |