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Home >> State of Virginia >> Northumberland County >> Oak Grove >> 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 Oak Grove (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 Oak Grove. 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 Oak Grove ...

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.

Another variation: Oakgrove.

  • A typical abbreviation for Oak Grove: Oak Grv.

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

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 southeast 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 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 east 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.

Oak Grove is located in Northumberland 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 Northumberland County: Lancaster, Richmond & Westmoreland.

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

  • Northumberland County     (The home county of Oak Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Blackwells
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Remo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Heathsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Lara
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Fleeton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Reedville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Coan
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Ophelia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bundick
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Rainswood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Sunnybank
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Lynhams
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
  • Accomack County
    • Tangier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
    • Dunnsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Tappahannock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Millers Tavern
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Millers Tavern is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Tavern
    • Dunbrooke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Dunbrooke is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunbrooke
    • Minor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Minor is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minor
  • Gloucester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Freeport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
    • Glenns
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
    • North
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Adner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Adner is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
    • Ark
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Ark is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • Money
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Money is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Contra
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Contra is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
    • Crouch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Crouch is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
    • Cumnor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • 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 southwest)
    • Plain View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Mattaponi
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • West Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Romancoke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Romancoke is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Lankford Corner
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
    • Alfonso
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
    • Richtown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Merry Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Griffins Landing
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Kilmarnock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Monaskon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
    • Ottoman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Irvington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Millenbeck
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Ocran
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Weems
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Mathews
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Cardinal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cardinal is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
    • Diggs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Beaverlett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
    • Ruff
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Ruff is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Nesting
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
    • Remlik
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Urbanna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Locust Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Harmony Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Saluda
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Grafton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Amburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Hartfield
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Wilton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
  • New Kent County
    • Plum Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Plum Point is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Downings
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Farnham
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Simonson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Emmerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Simons Corner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Rich Neck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Warsaw
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Tallent Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Tallent Town is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
    • Naylors
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Naylors is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
    • Newland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Newland is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newland
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Kinsale
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Griffiths Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
    • Tucker Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
    • Machodoc
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
    • Nomini Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
    • Hinnom
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
    • Chiltons
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Chiltons is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chiltons
    • Montross
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bryant Town is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant Town
  • Saint Mary's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Scotland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Gum Landing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Gum Landing is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Landing
    • Dameron
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Dameron is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dameron
    • Piney Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Drayden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Saint Marys City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Tall Timbers
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Valley Lee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
    • Callaway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Great Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Lexington Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Rhodes Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
    • Tylerton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Ewell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Smith Island
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Smith Island is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Grove.

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 Oak Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Willie Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Fairfields Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Beulah Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Morattico Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hope Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Hopewell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Beane Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Roseland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • St. Marys Whitechapel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (110 more) ...
    • Grace Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • St. Francis De Sales Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Oakland Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Browns Store
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Browns Store is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Store
  • Wicomico Church
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Blackwells
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
  • Avalon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Avalon is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
  • Heathsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mila
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Mila is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mila
  • Lilian
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Lilian is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilian
  • Fairport
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Fairport is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
  • Litwalton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Litwalton is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Litwalton
  • Merry Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
  • Bundick
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
  • Reedville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Ophelia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Mollusk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Kilmarnock
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Grove ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Grove, 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 Oak Grove.

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 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 Oak Grove:

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 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.
<3>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 Oak Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Oak Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.