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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 Mount Vernon (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 Mount Vernon. 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 Mount Vernon ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Mount Vernon: Mt. Vernon

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

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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Mount Vernon is located in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County: Charles (MD), Montgomery (MD), Prince George's (MD), Arlington, Falls Church City, Loudoun & Prince William.

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

  • Fairfax County     (The home county of Mount Vernon)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Hybla Valley
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Hybla Valley is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hybla Valley
    • Fort Hunt
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Fort Hunt is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Hunt
    • Groveton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Groveton is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groveton
    • Burgundy Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Burgundy Village is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burgundy Village
    • Penn Daw Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Penn Daw Village is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penn Daw Village
    • Rose Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Rose Hill is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
    • Belle Haven
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Huntington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Huntington is located in Fairfax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntington
    • Franconia
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Newington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Springfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Pohick
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Alexandria City
  • Arlington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Arlington Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Arlington Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington Village
    • Buckingham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Arlington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Brandon Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Brandon Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon Village
    • Cherrydale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Colonial Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Colonial Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Garden City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Garden City is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Lyon Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Lyon Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyon Village
    • Riverwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Williamsburg Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Williamsburg Village is located in Arlington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg Village
  • Fairfax City
  • Falls Church City
  • Fauquier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Brent Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Brent Town is located in Fauquier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Town
    • Catlett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • King George County
  • Loudoun County
  • Manassas City
  • Manassas Park City
    • Manassas Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Prince William County
  • Stafford County
  • Anne Arundel County (MD)
  • Calvert County (MD)
  • Charles County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Bryans Road
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • South Hampton Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • South Hampton Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Hampton Village
    • Pomonkey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Potomac Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Potomac Heights is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Heights
    • Freedom Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Freedom Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Village
    • Indian Head
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Riverview Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Riverview Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Village
    • Bennsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bennsville is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennsville
    • Marbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Marbury is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbury
    • Pomfret
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Westlake Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Westlake Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Village
    • Acton Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Acton Village is located in Charles County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton Village
  • Howard County (MD)
  • Montgomery County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Brookmont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Brookmont is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookmont
    • Chevy Chase Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Village is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Village
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,050 people
    • Glen Echo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Somerset
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Somerset is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
    • Bethesda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Cabin John
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Chevy Chase Section Five
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Section Five is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Five
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 702 people
    • Chevy Chase Section Three
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Chevy Chase Section Three is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chevy Chase Section Three
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 794 people
    • Chevy Chase
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • English Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • English Village is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for English Village
    • Landon Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Landon Village is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landon Village
    • Martin's Additions
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Martin's Additions is located in Montgomery County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin's Additions
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 991 people
  • Prince George's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Fort Washington
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fort Foote Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Fort Foote Village is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Foote Village
    • Accokeek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Friendly
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Friendly is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly
    • Piscataway ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Forest Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Forest Heights is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,558 people
    • Oxon Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Thrift
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hillcrest Heights
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Hillcrest Heights is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest Heights
    • Temple Hills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Blandford Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Blandford Village is located in Prince George's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blandford Village
    • Camp Springs
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Saint Mary's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mount Vernon, with the one closest to Mount Vernon listed first.
    • Charlotte Hall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Budds Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mechanicsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Golden Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Golden Beach is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Beach
    • Chaptico
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Mount Vernon ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mount Vernon.

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 Mount Vernon - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Mount Vernon had a post office and no railroad service.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mount Vernon ...

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 82 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mount Vernon.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Mount Vernon. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Mount Vernon and those printed in the larger area surrounding Mount Vernon.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 6 miles [9.7 km]<5> of Mount Vernon.

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 Mount Vernon:

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>The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov.
<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 Mount Vernon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Mount Vernon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.