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 The Colonies (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 The Colonies. 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 northwest 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 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.
The Colonies is located in Hanover 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 Hanover County: Caroline, Goochland, Henrico, King William, Louisa, New Kent & Spotsylvania.
Below are the counties that are near The Colonies. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to The Colonies:
- Hanover County (The home county of The Colonies)
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Mechanicsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Atlee Station
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
- Hanover
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Westwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Westwood is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Ashland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gwathmey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
- Taylorsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
- Doswell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Verdon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Verdon is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
- Hylas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hylas is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
- Casco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Casco is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
- Goodall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Goodall is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
- Rockville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Caroline County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Burruss Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
- Penola
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Penola is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
- Ruther Glen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sparta
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Sparta is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- DeJarnette
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- DeJarnette is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeJarnette
- Central Point
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Central Point is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
- Bowling Green
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Charles City County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Roxbury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Roxbury is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Kimages
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kimages is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
- Ruthville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ruthville is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
- Westover
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Westover is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Charles City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Chesterfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Ampt Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ampt Hill is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ampt Hill
- Bensley Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
- Bensley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
- Bon Air
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
- Bellwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
- Drewrys Bluff
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
- Beulah Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
- Robious
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Robious is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
- Meadowville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Meadowville is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
- Centralia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
- Bermuda Hundred ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bermuda Hundred is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda Hundred
- Chester
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Colonial Heights City
- Colonial Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Minor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Minor is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
- Millers Tavern
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Millers Tavern is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Tavern
- Beazley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Beazley is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beazley
- Dunbrooke
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbrooke is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
- Lloyds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lloyds is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyds
- Dunnsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Tappahannock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Occupacia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Occupacia is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Occupacia
- Bowlers Wharf
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
- Loretto
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Loretto is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
- Goochland County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Oilville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Thorncliff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
- Henrico County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Chamberlayne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Chamberlayne is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlayne
- Highland Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- East Highland Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Highland Park is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Highland Park
- Longdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Longdale is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longdale
- Fair Oaks
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
- Green Meadows
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Green Meadows is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Meadows
- Sandston
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Heckler Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Heckler Village is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heckler Village
- Oak Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Lee Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Lee Park is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Park
- Lakeside
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeside is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
- Glen Allen
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hunton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hunton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunton
- Hopewell City
- Hopewell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Walkerton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Walkerton is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerton
- Bruington
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bruington is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruington
- Cauthornville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cauthornville is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cauthornville
- Crouch
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Crouch is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
- Cumnor
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
- King and Queen Court House
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Contra
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Contra is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
- Mattaponi
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Enfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Enfield is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Manquin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Tuck Fork
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Tuck Fork is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
- Rumford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Rumford is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
- Beulahville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Beulahville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahville
- Lanesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Lanesville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- Romancoke
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- West Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Louisa County
- Willowbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- New Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Tunstall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tunstall is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
- New Kent
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Plum Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- Powhatan County
- Huguenot
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
- Prince George County
- Garysville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Garysville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
- Richmond City
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Montrose Heights
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Montrose Heights is located in Richmond City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose Heights
- Richmond
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Richmond County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Cherry Gardens
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Gardens is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Gardens
- Chippenham Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
- Walmsley Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to The Colonies, see our County-by-County Page for The Colonies.
Cemeteries Near The Colonies ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of The Colonies.
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 The Colonies - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for The Colonies covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Second Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Enon Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Chestnut Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gethsemane Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- New Bethesda Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abraham Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beulah Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Signal Hill Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Cool Spring Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cold Harbor National Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (203 more) ...
- Rock Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- McKendree Methodist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Luther Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<2>
While we didn't find The Colonies in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of The Colonies.
These communities are listed based on their distance from The Colonies, with the one closest to The Colonies listed first.
- Studley
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Pole Green
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pole Green is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pole Green
- Old Church
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Old Church is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Church
- Enfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Enfield is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Cady
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Cady is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cady
- Atlee Station
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
- Etna Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Etna Mills is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna Mills
- Peaks
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Peaks is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaks
- Ashcake
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ashcake is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcake
- Ellerson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ellerson is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerson
- Manquin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Brook Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brook Hill is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hill
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Highland Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mangohick
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mangohick is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mangohick
- French Hay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- French Hay is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Hay
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around The Colonies. See our List of 1890's Communities around The Colonies.
Newspapers Published in The Colonies ...
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 2 newspapers that have been published in the area around The Colonies.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of The Colonies, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for The Colonies.
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 helpful 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 The Colonies:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Hanover County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Caroline County
- Charles City County
- Chesterfield County
- Colonial Heights City
- Essex County
- Goochland County
- Henrico County
- Hopewell City
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Louisa County
- New Kent County
- Powhatan County
- Prince George County
- Richmond City
- Richmond 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> | 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 The Colonies, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- The Colonies) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |