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 Fort Defiance (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 Fort Defiance. 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 Fort Defiance ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Defiance: Ft. Defiance
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fort Defiance. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fort Defiance.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Fort Defiance is located in Augusta 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 Augusta County: Albemarle, Bath, Highland, Nelson, Rockbridge, Rockingham & Pendleton (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Fort Defiance. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Defiance:
- Augusta County (The home county of Fort Defiance)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Verona
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Weyers Cave
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grottoes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Parnassus
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Parnassus is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnassus
- Crimora
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sampson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sampson is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
- Mount Solon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brand
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Fishersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Dooms
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dooms is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooms
- Jolivue
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jolivue is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jolivue
- Churchville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Stokesville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stokesville is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesville
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Mountfair
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mountfair is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountfair
- Crozet
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Foothill Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Foothill Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foothill Village
- White Hall
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- White Hall is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Yancey Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Yancey Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yancey Mills
- Boonesville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Boonesville is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonesville
- Cedarmere
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cedarmere is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Batesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Free Union
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Decca ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Decca is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decca
- Ivy
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Logan Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Logan Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Village
- Barracks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Barracks is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barracks
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Charlottesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Grove is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Grove
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Cedarmere ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cedarmere is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Amicus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Amicus is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amicus
- Stanardsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Harrisonburg City
- Harrisonburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Highland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Palo Alto
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Palo Alto is located in Highland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
- McDowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Nelson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Afton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Durrett Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Durrett Town is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durrett Town
- Onan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Onan is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onan
- Greenfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Greenfield is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Lodebar
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lodebar is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodebar
- Nellysford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Adial
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Adial is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adial
- Tyro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Old Myndus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Old Myndus is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Myndus
- Bryant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Bryant is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Verbena
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Verbena is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Shenandoah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Davis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Davis is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Brownsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Marlbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Marlbrook is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlbrook
- Rockingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Mount Crawford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North River
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Bridgewater
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cross Keys
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Spring Creek is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Goods Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Goods Mill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goods Mill
- Dayton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ottobine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Ottobine is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottobine
- Rushville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Rushville is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Massanetta Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Massanetta Springs is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massanetta Springs
- Montevideo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Montevideo is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevideo
- Clover Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Clover Hill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
- Briery Branch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Briery Branch is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briery Branch
- Staunton City
- Staunton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Waynesboro City
- Waynesboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Pendleton County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Moyers
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Moyers is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
- Propstburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
- Brandywine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fort Defiance, see our County-by-County Page for Fort Defiance.
Cemeteries Near Fort Defiance ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Defiance.
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 Fort Defiance - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fort Defiance covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Bells Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cline Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Old Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Cash Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Valley Church Of The Brethren Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Click Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Zane Showker Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Landes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Belmont Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Edgewood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Melanchthon Lutheran Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Naked Creek Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (347 more) ...
- Croft Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Old Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sellers Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Fort Defiance had a population of 43 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Mount Sidney
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Verona
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Laurel Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Laurel Hill is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Roman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Roman is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roman
- New Hope
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Weyers Cave
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stonewall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Stonewall is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewall
- Annex
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Annex is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annex
- Hermitage
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hermitage is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
- Harriston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Harriston is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harriston
- Madrid
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Madrid is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
- Sampson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sampson is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- North River
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Mount Crawford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Moscow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Moscow is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fort Defiance. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fort Defiance.
Newspapers Published in Fort Defiance ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Defiance.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Defiance, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fort Defiance.
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 Fort Defiance:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Augusta County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Charlottesville City
- Greene County
- Harrisonburg City
- Highland County
- Nelson County
- Page County
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Staunton City
- Waynesboro City
- Pendleton 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 Fort Defiance, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Fort Defiance) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |