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 Hams Ford (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 Hams Ford. 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 Hams Ford ...
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.
- A typical abbreviation for Hams Ford: Hams Frd.
- While the name of this community is Hams Ford, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Hams Ford may originally have been Ham's Ford.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hams Ford might be written as Ham Ford.
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 and doctors 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.
Hams Ford is located in Spotsylvania 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 Spotsylvania County: Caroline, Culpeper, Hanover, Louisa, Orange & Stafford.
Below are the counties that are near Hams Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hams Ford:
- Spotsylvania County (The home county of Hams Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Thornburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Arcadia
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Arcadia is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
- Snell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Marye
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Marye is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marye
- Spotsylvania Courthouse
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Spotsylvania
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Massaponax
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Massaponax is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massaponax
- Post Oak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Post Oak is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak
- Partlow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Leavells
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Leavells is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavells
- McHenry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- McHenry is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
- Margo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Margo is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margo
- Screamerville ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Screamerville is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamerville
- Caroline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- New London
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- New London is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New London
- Stuart Corner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Stuart Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart Corner
- Bowling Green
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Olney Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Olney Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney Corner
- Ruther Glen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Moss Neck
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Moss Neck is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Neck
- DeJarnette
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- DeJarnette is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeJarnette
- Penola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Penola is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
- Samuels Corner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Samuels Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samuels Corner
- Burruss Corner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
- Port Royal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sparta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sparta is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Central Point
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Central Point is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
- Culpeper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Lignum
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lignum is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lignum
- Kellys Ford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kellys Ford is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Ford
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Loretto
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Loretto is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loretto
- Beazley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beazley is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beazley
- Layton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Layton is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layton
- Lloyds
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Lloyds is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloyds
- Occupacia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Occupacia is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Occupacia
- Fredericksburg City
- Fredericksburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Hanover County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Hewlett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hewlett is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewlett
- Beaverdam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tylers
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tylers is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylers
- Verdon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Verdon is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
- Doswell
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Taylorsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
- Montpelier
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Goodall
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Goodall is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
- Ashland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Casco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Casco is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
- Hanover
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Gwathmey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
- Vontay
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vontay is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vontay
- Henrico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Wyndham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wyndham is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyndham
- Hunton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Hunton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunton
- King George County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Port Conway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Port Conway is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Conway
- Arnolds Corner
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Arnolds Corner is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnolds Corner
- Fairview Beach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Beach is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Beach
- King George
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Ambar
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ambar is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambar
- Edgehill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Edgehill is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgehill
- Weedonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Weedonville is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedonville
- Somerset Beach
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Somerset Beach is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Beach
- Hampstead
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hampstead is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampstead
- Ninde
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Ninde is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ninde
- Alden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alden is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
- Dahlgren
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Tuck Fork
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Tuck Fork is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
- Beulahville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Beulahville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahville
- Louisa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Harris ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Harris is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Bumpass
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bumpass is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpass
- Bumpass has also been known as:
- Bumpas
- Bumpass Junction
- Bumpass Station
- Bumpass Turnout
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bumpass <2>
- Mineral
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pendleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pendleton is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
- Cuckoo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cuckoo is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuckoo
- Jackson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jackson is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Gays ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gays is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays
- Willowbrook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- Louisa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Vigor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Vigor is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
- Shelfar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Shelfar is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
- Trevilians
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Trevilians is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trevilians
- Bells Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bells Crossroads is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Crossroads
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Wilderness
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilderness is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderness
- Locust Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Danton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Danton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danton
- Indian Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Indian Town is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Town
- Vulcan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Vulcan is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- Burr Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Burr Hill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Hill
- Rhoadesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- True Blue
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- True Blue is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True Blue
- Grassland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Grassland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassland
- Stafford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Hampstead Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hampstead Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampstead Village
- Chatham Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Chatham Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Village
- Falmouth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Little Falls Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Little Falls Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls Village
- Falmouth Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Falmouth Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Village
- Grafton Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Grafton Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton Village
- Berea
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Berea is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Northridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Northridge is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northridge
- Stafford Lakes Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- North Potomac
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- North Potomac is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Potomac
- Woodlanding Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Woodlanding Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlanding Village
- Hartwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Storck
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Storck is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storck
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Leedstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Leedstown is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leedstown
- Maple Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Maple Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Nash Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Nash Town is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nash Town
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Charles County (MD)
- Nanjemoy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hams Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Hams Ford.
Cemeteries Near Hams Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hams Ford.
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 Hams Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hams Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Beulah Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Cemetery
- The Beulah Cemetery has also been known as:
- Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #341838 <3>
- Bethany Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Marys Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Travelers Rest Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Confederate Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Massaponax Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hopewell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Macedonia Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wallers Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Second New Hope Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (174 more) ...
- Rehoboth Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- County Line Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Old Wright Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Hams Ford in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hams Ford.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hams Ford, with the one closest to Hams Ford listed first.
- Thornburg
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Marye
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Marye is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marye
- Blantons
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Blantons is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blantons
- Welchs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Welchs is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welchs
- Massaponax
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Massaponax is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massaponax
- Mount Pleasant
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Gatewood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gatewood is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
- Post Oak
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Post Oak is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak
- Partlow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Paige
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Paige is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paige
- Woodford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Chilesburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Chilesburg is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilesburg
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Leavells
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Leavells is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavells
- Golansville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Golansville is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golansville
- Balty
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Balty is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balty
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hams Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hams Ford.
Newspapers Published in Hams Ford ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hams Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hams Ford, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hams Ford.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Hams Ford:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Spotsylvania County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Caroline County
- Culpeper County
- Essex County
- Fredericksburg City
- Hanover County
- Henrico County
- King George County
- King William County
- Louisa County
- Orange County
- Stafford County
- Westmoreland County
- Charles County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <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 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. |
| <4> | 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 Hams Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Hams Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |