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Home >> State of Virginia >> Gloucester County >> Hornets Nest >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Hornets Nest (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 Hornets Nest. 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 Hornets Nest ...

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.

While the name of this community is Hornets Nest, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Hornets Nest may originally have been Hornet's Nest.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hornets Nest might be written as Hornet Nest.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Hornets Nest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Hornets Nest.

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 doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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.

Hornets Nest is located in Gloucester 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 Gloucester County: James City, King and Queen, Middlesex & York.

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

  • Gloucester County     (The home county of Hornets Nest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Freeport
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
    • North
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ark
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Ark is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
    • Glenns
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • Adner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Adner is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
    • Money
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Money is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
    • Belroi
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Belroi is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
    • Roanes
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Roanes is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
    • White Marsh
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • York View
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • York View is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
    • Clay Bank
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
  • Charles City County
    • Ruthville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Ruthville is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
    • Dunnsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hampton City
    • Newgate Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
  • James City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Norge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Plain View
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Mattaponi
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • King and Queen Court House
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Contra
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Contra is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
    • Cumnor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
    • Crouch
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Crouch is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • West Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Romancoke
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Romancoke is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
    • Lanesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Lanesville is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Millenbeck
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Weems
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
    • Irvington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • White Stone
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Ottoman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Ocran
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Westland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Westland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
    • Merry Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Monaskon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
    • Kilmarnock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Griffins Landing
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Richtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Cardinal
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cardinal is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
    • Mathews
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Beaverlett
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
    • Ruff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruff is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
    • Diggs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Susan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Susan is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
    • Onemo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Onemo is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
    • Peary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Peary is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
    • New Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Grafton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Harmony Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Hartfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Locust Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Wilton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Saluda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Amburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Urbanna
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Remlik
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Nesting
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
  • New Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Plum Point
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Plum Point is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
    • New Kent
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Newport News City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Lee Hall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
    • Red Hill Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
    • Newport News
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bernard Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Lynhams
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
    • Remo
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Lara
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Blackwells
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Fleeton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Reedville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Heathsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Rainswood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Sunnybank
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
  • Poquoson City
    • Poquoson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Simonson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Downings
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Simons Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Farnham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Emmerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Homewood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Homewood is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
    • Scotland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Scotland is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
    • Claremont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Claremont is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
    • Surry
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Williamsburg City
    • Williamsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hornets Nest, with the one closest to Hornets Nest listed first.
    • Barlows Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Barlows Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
    • Oaktree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Oaktree is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
    • Charles Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Charles Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
    • Lackey
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Lackey is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
    • Yorktown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Rochambeau Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Rochambeau Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
    • Dare
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Dare is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
    • Yorkville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Yorkville is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville

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

Cemeteries Near Hornets Nest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hornets Nest.

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 Hornets Nest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Locust Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Lower UMC Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Newington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ware Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Old Bellamy Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Emmaus Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Christ Church Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Pole Bridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Trinity Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Mathews Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (169 more) ...
    • Centenary Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Arthur Lee Family Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • St. Pauls Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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>

While we didn't find Hornets Nest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hornets Nest.

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

  • New Upton
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • New Upton is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Upton
  • Freeport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
  • Woods Crossroads
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Woods Crossroads is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woods Crossroads
  • Ark
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ark is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
  • Harmony Village
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
  • Gloucester Courthouse
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
  • Stormont
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Stormont is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stormont
  • Cobbs Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Locust Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Glenns
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
  • Ware Neck
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ware Neck is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware Neck
  • Wilton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Cooper
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Cooper is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
    • Plain View
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Sassafras
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Sassafras is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassafras

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

Newspapers Published in Hornets Nest ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hornets Nest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hornets Nest, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hornets Nest.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Hornets Nest:

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>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Grafton and Hartfield. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Hornets Nest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<5>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.
<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 Hornets Nest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.