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 Mechanicsville (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 Mechanicsville. 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 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.
Mechanicsville is located in Hanover 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 Hanover County: Caroline, Goochland, Henrico, King William, Louisa, New Kent & Spotsylvania.
Below are the counties that are near Mechanicsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mechanicsville:
- Hanover County (The home county of Mechanicsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Atlee Station
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
- Westwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Westwood is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westwood
- Hanover
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Gwathmey
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
- Ashland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Taylorsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
- Hylas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hylas is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
- Doswell
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Casco
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Casco is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
- Goodall
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Goodall is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
- Rockville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Verdon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Verdon is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
- Montpelier
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Amelia County
- Masons Corner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
- Caroline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Burruss Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
- Ruther Glen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Penola
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Penola is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
- DeJarnette
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- DeJarnette is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeJarnette
- Sparta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Sparta is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Central Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Central Point is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Point
- Bowling Green
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Charles City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Roxbury
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Roxbury is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Kimages
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kimages is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
- Westover
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Westover is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Charles City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ruthville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ruthville is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
- Chesterfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Ampt Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Ampt Hill is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ampt Hill
- Bensley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
- Bon Air
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
- Bensley Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
- Bellwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
- Drewrys Bluff
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
- Beulah Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
- Robious
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Robious is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
- Centralia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Centralia is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centralia
- Meadowville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Meadowville is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowville
- Midlothian
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Colonial Heights City
- Colonial Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dinwiddie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Grant Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Grant Village is located in Dinwiddie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Village
- Addison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Addison is located in Dinwiddie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Maitland Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Maitland Village is located in Dinwiddie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maitland Village
- Sutherland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Essex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Minor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Minor is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
- Millers Tavern
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Millers Tavern is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Tavern
- Beazley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Beazley is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beazley
- Dunbrooke
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbrooke is located in Essex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
- Goochland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Oilville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Thorncliff
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
- Goochland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Maidens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Henrico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- East Highland Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- East Highland Park is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Highland Park
- Oak Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Chamberlayne
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Chamberlayne is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlayne
- Heckler Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Heckler Village is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heckler Village
- Highland Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lakeside
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lakeside is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
- Longdale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Longdale is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longdale
- Montrose
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Montrose is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Fair Oaks
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
- Sandston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dumbarton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
- Lee Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Park is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Park
- Laurel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Laurel is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
- Hopewell City
- Hopewell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Walkerton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Walkerton is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkerton
- Bruington
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bruington is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruington
- Cauthornville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cauthornville is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cauthornville
- Cumnor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
- King and Queen Court House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Crouch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Crouch is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
- Contra
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Contra is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Enfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Enfield is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
- Manquin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tuck Fork
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tuck Fork is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
- Rumford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rumford is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
- Beulahville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Beulahville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahville
- Lanesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lanesville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- Romancoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Louisa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Willowbrook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- Jackson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Shelfar
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Shelfar is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
- New Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Tunstall
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Tunstall is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
- New Kent
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Petersburg City
- Petersburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Powhatan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Huguenot
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
- Dorset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dorset is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
- Pilkinton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
- Beaumont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Michaux
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Michaux is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
- Prince George County
- Garysville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Garysville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
- Richmond City
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Richmond
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Montrose Heights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Montrose Heights is located in Richmond City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose Heights
- Richmond County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Cherry Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cherry Gardens is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Gardens
- Chippenham Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
- Walmsley Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Walmsley Village is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walmsley Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mechanicsville, see our County-by-County Page for Mechanicsville.
Cemeteries Near Mechanicsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mechanicsville.
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 Mechanicsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mechanicsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Abraham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Lawn Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Forest Lawn Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the north of Richmond.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #154652 <3>
- Beth El Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beth El Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Beth El Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the north of Richmond.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1848688 <3>
- Woodland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma Plantation
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cool Spring Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Barton Heights Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Holy Cross Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hebrew Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebrew Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hebrew Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Richmond.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #173295 <3>
- Continue List (218 more) ...
- Emmanuel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Shockoe Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockoe Hill Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shockoe Hill Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Richmond.
- The Shockoe Hill Cemetery has also been known as:
- Schockoe Cemetery
- Shockoe Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #52134 <3>
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 Mechanicsville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mechanicsville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Ellerson
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Ellerson is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellerson
- Pole Green
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pole Green is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pole Green
- Atlee Station
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
- Brook Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brook Hill is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hill
- Ashcake
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ashcake is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcake
- Highland Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fair Oaks
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fair Oaks is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Oaks
- Studley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dumbarton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
- Seven Pines
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Pines is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Pines
- French Hay
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- French Hay is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Hay
- Peaks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Peaks is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaks
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Laurel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Laurel is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
- Fort Lee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fort Lee is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lee
- Old Church
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Old Church is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Church
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mechanicsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mechanicsville.
Newspapers Published in Mechanicsville ...
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 461 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mechanicsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mechanicsville, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mechanicsville.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Mechanicsville:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Hanover County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amelia County
- Caroline County
- Charles City County
- Chesterfield County
- Colonial Heights City
- Dinwiddie County
- Essex County
- Goochland County
- Henrico County
- Hopewell City
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Louisa County
- New Kent County
- Petersburg City
- Powhatan County
- Prince George County
- Richmond City
- Richmond 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Mechanicsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Mechanicsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |