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 Gainesville (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 Gainesville. 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 hospitals and 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.
Gainesville is located in Prince William 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 Prince William County: Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun & Stafford.
Below are the counties that are near Gainesville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gainesville:
- Prince William County (The home county of Gainesville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Haymarket
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Broad Run Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Broad Run Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broad Run Village
- Linton Hall
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Linton Hall is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linton Hall
- Catharpin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Catharpin is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catharpin
- Bull Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bull Run is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bull Run
- Crestwood Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Crestwood Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crestwood Village
- Waterfall Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Waterfall Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterfall Village
- Bataan Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bataan Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bataan Village
- Bristow
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Iron Gate
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Iron Gate is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
- Sudley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sudley is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudley
- Nokesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Alexandria City
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Chinquapin Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Chinquapin Village is located in Alexandria City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chinquapin Village
- Oakcrest
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Oakcrest is located in Alexandria City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakcrest
- Arlandria
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Arlandria is located in Alexandria City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlandria
- Warwick Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Warwick Village is located in Alexandria City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warwick Village
- Alexandria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Arlington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Williamsburg Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Williamsburg Village is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Village
- Garden City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Garden City is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Arlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brandon Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brandon Village is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
- Buckingham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Buckingham is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckingham
- Arlington Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Arlington Village is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Village
- Cherrydale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Cherrydale is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrydale
- Lyon Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lyon Village is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Village
- Riverwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Riverwood is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverwood
- Colonial Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Colonial Village is located in Arlington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Clarke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Frogtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Frogtown is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frogtown
- Berrys
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Berrys is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrys
- Arcadia Farm
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Arcadia Farm is located in Clarke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Farm
- Millwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Culpeper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Jeffersonton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Jeffersonton is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonton
- Kellys Ford
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kellys Ford is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Ford
- Elkwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Rixeyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rixeyville is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixeyville
- Homeland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Homeland is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Eggbornsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Eggbornsville is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eggbornsville
- Lignum
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lignum is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lignum
- Culpeper
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfax City
- Fairfax
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Fairfax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- London Towne
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- London Towne is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for London Towne
- Centreville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Chantilly
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clifton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lee-Hi Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Lee-Hi Village is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee-Hi Village
- Pender
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pender is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pender
- Floris
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Floris is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floris
- Random Hills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Random Hills is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Random Hills
- Sideburn
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Sideburn is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sideburn
- Oakton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Herndon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Reston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Falls Church City
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Offutt Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Offutt Village is located in Falls Church City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Offutt Village
- Falls Church
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- West Falls Church
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- West Falls Church is located in Falls Church City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Falls Church
- Fauquier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Broad Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Landmark
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Landmark is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landmark
- The Plains
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Catlett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Halfway
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Halfway is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
- Frytown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Frytown is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frytown
- Warrenton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Belvoir ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Belvoir is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvoir
- Zulla
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Zulla is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zulla
- Brent Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Brent Town is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Town
- Marshall
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Midland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Loudoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Arcola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Arcola is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Lenah
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lenah is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenah
- Aldie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Middleburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Waxpool
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Waxpool is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waxpool
- Mountville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Mountville is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountville
- Oak Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Sterling
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Welbourne
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Welbourne is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welbourne
- Ashburn
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Ashburn Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ashburn Village is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashburn Village
- Belmont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Belmont is located in Loudoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Manassas City
- Manassas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Manassas Park City
- Manassas Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Rappahannock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Amissville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Reager
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Reager is located in Rappahannock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reager
- Chester Gap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Chester Gap is located in Rappahannock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester Gap
- Washington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Spotsylvania County
- Dunavant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dunavant is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Stafford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Cropp
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cropp is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cropp
- Hartwood Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hartwood Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwood Village
- Aquia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Aquia is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquia
- King James Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- King James Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King James Village
- Meadowood Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Meadowood Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowood Village
- Widewater Village at Stafford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Storck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Storck is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storck
- Aquia Harbour
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Aquia Harbour is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquia Harbour
- Hartwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Canterbury Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Canterbury Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
- Stafford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stafford Lakes Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Applewood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Applewood is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applewood
- Happy Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Happy Creek is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy Creek
- Milldale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Milldale is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milldale
- Charles County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Riverview Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Riverview Village is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Village
- Indian Head
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mattawoman Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mattawoman Village is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawoman Village
- Potomac Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Potomac Heights is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Heights
- Marbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Marbury is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbury
- Doncaster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Doncaster is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doncaster
- Montgomery County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Edwards Ferry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Edwards Ferry is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards Ferry
- Martinsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Martinsburg is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martinsburg
- Poolesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Potomac
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Travilah
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Travilah is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Travilah
- Cabin John
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Darnestown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- North Potomac
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- North Potomac is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Potomac
- Brookmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Brookmont is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookmont
- Beallsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Glen Echo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bradmoor
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bradmoor is located in Montgomery County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradmoor
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gainesville, see our County-by-County Page for Gainesville.
Cemeteries Near Gainesville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gainesville.
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 Gainesville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gainesville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Buckland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Greenwich Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Groveton Confederate Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Stonewall Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Calvary Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ball Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Pittsylvania Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sudley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Taliaferro / Carter Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Beulah Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- New Hope Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (222 more) ...
- Cannon Branch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Georgetown Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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 Gainesville had a population of 120 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gainesville, with the one closest to Gainesville listed first.
- Haymarket
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Wellington
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Wellington is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington
- Buckland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Buckland is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckland
- Greenwich
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwich is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwich
- Catharpin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Catharpin is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catharpin
- Sudley Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sudley Springs is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sudley Springs
- Waterfall
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Waterfall is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterfall
- Broad Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- New Baltimore
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Nokesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Auburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Auburn is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Hickory Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hickory Grove is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory Grove
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Manassas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Catlett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Brentsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brentsville is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gainesville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gainesville.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Gainesville ...
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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gainesville.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Gainesville. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Gainesville and those printed in the larger area surrounding Gainesville.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of Gainesville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Gainesville:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Prince William County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexandria City
- Arlington County
- Clarke County
- Culpeper County
- Fairfax City
- Fairfax County
- Falls Church City
- Fauquier County
- Loudoun County
- Manassas City
- Manassas Park City
- Rappahannock County
- Spotsylvania County
- Stafford County
- Warren County
- Charles County
- Montgomery 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 Gainesville, 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- Gainesville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |