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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 Dorset (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 Dorset. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Dorset is located in Powhatan County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Powhatan County: Amelia, Chesterfield, Cumberland & Goochland.

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

  • Powhatan County     (The home county of Dorset)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Pilkinton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pilkinton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
      • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pilkinton
      • From Dorset to Pilkinton
    • Huguenot
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Huguenot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
      • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Huguenot
      • From Dorset to Huguenot
    • Belona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belona
      • Belona is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belona
      • From Dorset to Belona
    • Michaux
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Michaux. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
      • Michaux is located in Powhatan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Michaux
      • From Dorset to Michaux
    • Beaumont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Amelia County
  • Chesterfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Otterdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Midlothian
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Winterpock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Robious
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bon Air
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Holly ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly
      • Holly is located in Chesterfield County
    • Chesterfield Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
      • Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
    • Fendley ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fendley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fendley
      • Fendley is located in Chesterfield County
    • Chesterfield Court House
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chesterfield Court House have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Court House
      • Chesterfield Court House is located in Chesterfield County
    • Bensley Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bensley Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
      • Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
    • Bensley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bensley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
      • Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
    • Beulah Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beulah Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
      • Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
  • Colonial Heights City
    • Colonial Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Heights
      • Colonial Heights is located in Colonial Heights City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,205 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colonial Heights <2>
  • Cumberland County
  • Dinwiddie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Hebron
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hebron. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
      • Hebron is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hebron
      • From Dorset to Hebron
    • Wilsons
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Addison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Grant Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grant Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Village
      • Grant Village is located in Dinwiddie County
    • Maitland Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maitland Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maitland Village
      • Maitland Village is located in Dinwiddie County
    • Darvills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Borthwick ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borthwick have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borthwick
      • Borthwick is located in Dinwiddie County
  • Fluvanna County
  • Goochland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Thorncliff
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thorncliff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
      • Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Thorncliff
      • From Dorset to Thorncliff
    • Maidens
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Goochland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Sandy Hook
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Enon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
      • Enon is located in Goochland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enon
      • From Dorset to Enon
    • Fife
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hadensville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Caledonia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caledonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
      • Caledonia is located in Goochland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Caledonia
      • From Dorset to Caledonia
    • Tabscott
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabscott have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabscott
      • Tabscott is located in Goochland County
  • Hanover County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Rockville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hylas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hylas. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
      • Hylas is located in Hanover County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hylas
      • From Dorset to Hylas
    • Vontay
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Casco
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Casco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
      • Casco is located in Hanover County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Casco
      • From Dorset to Casco
    • Goodall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goodall. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
      • Goodall is located in Hanover County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Goodall
      • From Dorset to Goodall
    • Montpelier
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Atlee Station
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gwathmey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gwathmey. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
      • Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gwathmey
      • From Dorset to Gwathmey
    • Mechanicsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mechanicsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsville
      • Mechanicsville is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mechanicsville <2>
    • Ashland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Henrico County
  • Hopewell City
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Shelfar
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shelfar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
      • Shelfar is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shelfar
      • From Dorset to Shelfar
    • Willowbrook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Gays ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gays have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays
      • Gays is located in Louisa County
    • Jackson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jackson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
      • Jackson is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jackson
      • From Dorset to Jackson
  • Nottoway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Spainville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spainville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spainville
      • Spainville is located in Nottoway County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Spainville
      • From Dorset to Spainville
    • Crewe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crewe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crewe
      • Crewe is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crewe <2>
    • Blackstone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackstone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackstone
      • Blackstone is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,304 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blackstone <2>
    • Burkeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burkeville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkeville
      • Burkeville is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burkeville <2>
  • Petersburg City
  • Richmond City
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dorset, with the one closest to Dorset listed first.
    • Chippenham Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chippenham Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
      • Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
    • Walmsley Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walmsley Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
      • Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
    • Cherry Gardens
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Dorset ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dorset.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Dorset had a population of 17 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Genito
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genito have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genito
    • Genito is located in Powhatan County
  • Flat Rock
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Flat Rock is located in Powhatan County
  • Pilkinton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pilkinton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
    • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pilkinton
    • From Dorset to Pilkinton
  • Mattoax
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattoax have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattoax
    • Mattoax is located in Amelia County
  • Lilburn
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilburn have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilburn
    • Lilburn is located in Powhatan County
  • Hallsboro
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
    • Hallsboro is located in Chesterfield County
  • Skinquarter
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Skinquarter have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skinquarter
    • Skinquarter is located in Chesterfield County
  • Otterdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Chula
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chula have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chula
    • Chula is located in Amelia County
  • Coalboro ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coalboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalboro
    • Coalboro is located in Chesterfield County
  • Midlothian
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Huguenot
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Huguenot. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
    • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Huguenot
    • From Dorset to Huguenot
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Subletts
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Subletts have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Subletts
      • Subletts is located in Powhatan County
    • Fine Creek Mills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fine Creek Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fine Creek Mills
      • Fine Creek Mills is located in Powhatan County
    • Winterpock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Dorset ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dorset.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dorset, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dorset.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Dorset:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Dorset. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Powhatan County: www.co.powhatan.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dorset) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Dorset. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4686, Longitude: -77.8065       In this case, the coordinates for Dorset have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Dorset, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025