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 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.
Mechanicsville is located in Rockingham County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rockingham County: Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Page, Shenandoah, Hardy (WV) & Pendleton (WV).
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:
- Rockingham County (The home county of Mechanicsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Timberville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Plains Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains Mill
- Plains Mill is located in Rockingham County
- Broadway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cootes Store
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cootes Store
- Cootes Store is located in Rockingham County
- Mayland
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayland
- Mayland is located in Rockingham County
- Turleytown
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turleytown
- Turleytown is located in Rockingham County
- Daphna
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Daphna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daphna
- Daphna is located in Rockingham County
- Fulks Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulks Run
- Fulks Run is located in Rockingham County
- Cherry Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
- Cherry Grove is located in Rockingham County
- Lacey Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey Spring
- Lacey Spring is located in Rockingham County
- Edom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
- Edom is located in Rockingham County
- Linville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
- Linville is located in Rockingham County
- Albemarle County
- Cedarmere
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedarmere. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Cedarmere is located in Albemarle County
- Augusta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Grottoes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Weyers Cave
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Solon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stokesville ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stokesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesville
- Stokesville is located in Augusta County
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Kinderhook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Kinderhook is located in Greene County
- Cedarmere ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedarmere. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Cedarmere is located in Greene County
- Harrisonburg City
- Harrisonburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Syria
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Peola Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peola Mills
- Peola Mills is located in Madison County
- Hood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Leaksville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaksville
- Leaksville is located in Page County
- Shenandoah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shenandoah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
- Shenandoah is located in Page County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,334 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shenandoah <1>
- Stanley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
- Stanley is located in Page County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,676 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanley <1>
- Verbena
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Verbena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Verbena is located in Page County
- Luray
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Marksville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
- Marksville is located in Page County
- Kimball
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kimball. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
- Kimball is located in Page County
- Rileyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rappahannock County
- Sperryville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Shenandoah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- New Market
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Clifton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Clifton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clifton
- Mount Clifton is located in Shenandoah County
- Orkney Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Rinkerton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rinkerton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rinkerton
- Rinkerton is located in Shenandoah County
- Basye - Bryce Mountain
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Jackson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Jackson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Jackson
- Mount Jackson is located in Shenandoah County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,144 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Jackson <1>
- Jerome
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jerome. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
- Jerome is located in Shenandoah County
- Columbia Furnace
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbia Furnace
- Columbia Furnace is located in Shenandoah County
- Edinburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Willow Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willow Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
- Willow Grove is located in Shenandoah County
- Calvary
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calvary. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvary
- Calvary is located in Shenandoah County
- Woodstock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Overall
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overall
- Overall is located in Warren County
- Bentonville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Limeton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limeton
- Limeton is located in Warren County
- Grant County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Seemly ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seemly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seemly
- Seemly is located in Grant County (WV)
- Dorcas
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
- Dorcas is located in Grant County (WV)
- Pansy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pansy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Pansy is located in Grant County (WV)
- Petersburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hardy County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Mathias
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Lost City
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lost City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost City
- Lost City is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lost City <1>
- Peru
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peru. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
- Peru is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Baker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Baker is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Durgon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Durgon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgon
- Durgon is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Fort Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Run
- Fort Run is located in Hardy County (WV)
- Moorefield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Wardensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pendleton County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mechanicsville, with the one closest to Mechanicsville listed first.
- Fort Seybert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Seybert
- Fort Seybert is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Brandywine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kline
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kline. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Kline is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Propstburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
- Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Brushy Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
- Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Ruddle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruddle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruddle
- Ruddle is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Ketterman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ketterman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
- Ketterman is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Franklin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
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.
- Stoner Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stoner Family Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Stoner Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Rader Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rader Cemetery
- The Rader Cemetery has also been known as:
- Rader Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #227340 <4>
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Timberville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Driver / Rife Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lukes Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lukes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Homan Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Homan Family Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Homan Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Homan Family Cemetery is located in Broadway.
- Broadway Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Billheimer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Billheimer Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Billheimer Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Thomas Family Cemetery #2
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (311 more) ...
- Flat Rock Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flat Rock Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flat Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Riddle Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ashenfelter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ashenfelter Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ashenfelter Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
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.<5>
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.
- Timberville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Broadway
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cootes Store
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cootes Store
- Cootes Store is located in Rockingham County
- New Market Station
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Market Station have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market Station
- New Market Station is located in Shenandoah County
- Forestville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forestville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Forestville is located in Shenandoah County
- Mayland
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayland
- Mayland is located in Rockingham County
- Tenth Legion
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tenth Legion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenth Legion
- Tenth Legion is located in Rockingham County
- New Market
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Quicksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quicksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quicksburg
- Quicksburg is located in Shenandoah County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quicksburg <1>
- Hepners
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hepners have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hepners
- Hepners is located in Shenandoah County
- Fulks Run
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulks Run
- Fulks Run is located in Rockingham County
- Cherry Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
- Cherry Grove is located in Rockingham County
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Mauzy
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauzy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauzy
- Mauzy is located in Rockingham County
- Mount Clifton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Clifton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clifton
- Mount Clifton is located in Shenandoah County
- Lacey Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacey Spring
- Lacey Spring is located in Rockingham County
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 69 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 20 miles [32.2 km]<6>. 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 first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Rockingham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Augusta County
- Greene County
- Harrisonburg City
- Madison County
- Page County
- Rappahannock County
- Shenandoah County
- Warren County
- Grant County
- Hardy County
- Pendleton County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Mechanicsville. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Rockingham County: www.co.rockingham.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
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> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<3> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<4> | 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. |
<5> | 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. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Mechanicsville) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mechanicsville. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6679, Longitude: -78.7878 In this case, the coordinates for Mechanicsville have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |