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 Ridge (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 Ridge. 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 Ridge ...
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 Oak Ridge: Oak Rdg. (or less commonly used: Oak Rdge. or Oak Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Ridge.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Oak Ridge is located in Nelson 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 Nelson County: Albemarle, Appomattox, Augusta & Buckingham.
Below are the counties that are near Oak Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak Ridge:
- Nelson County (The home county of Oak Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Shipman
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shipman is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shipman
- Arrington
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Colleen
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Colleen is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colleen
- Norwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Norwood is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Buffalo Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Buffalo Springs is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Springs
- Old Myndus
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Old Myndus is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Myndus
- Bryant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bryant is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
- Jonesboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jonesboro is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesboro
- Massies Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Massies Mill is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massies Mill
- Rockfish
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rockfish is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfish
- Warminster
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Warminster is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster
- Tyro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Covesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Covesville is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covesville
- Esmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Esmont is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esmont
- Warren
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Warren is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Porters
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Porters is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porters
- Alberene
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Alberene is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alberene
- Keene
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- North Garden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Batesville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Scottsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Stony Point
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Stony Point is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Yancey Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Yancey Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yancey Mills
- Crozet
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- New Glasgow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Glasgow is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Glasgow
- Lowesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Amherst
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Monitor
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Monitor is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monitor
- Walkers Ford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Walkers Ford is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkers Ford
- Sandidges
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Sandidges is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandidges
- Sweet Briar Station
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sweet Briar Station is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Briar Station
- Coolwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Coolwell is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
- Allwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Allwood is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allwood
- Alto
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Alto is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
- Forks of Buffalo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Forks of Buffalo is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks of Buffalo
- Joshua Falls
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshua Falls
- Appomattox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Bent Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bent Creek is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
- Beckham
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Beckham is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beckham
- Mineral ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Mineral is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
- Appomattox
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Spout Spring
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Spout Spring is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spout Spring
- Evergreen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Evergreen is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Hurtsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hurtsville is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurtsville
- Augusta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Sherando
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sherando is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherando
- Lipscomb
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Lipscomb is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipscomb
- Lyndhurst
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Steeles Tavern
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Stuarts Draft
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Greenville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Spottswood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Spottswood is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
- Dooms
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dooms is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooms
- Fishersville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Brand
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Jolivue
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Jolivue is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jolivue
- Middlebrook
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Abert
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Abert is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abert
- Boonsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Boonsboro is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsboro
- Coleman Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Coleman Falls is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Falls
- Waugh
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Waugh is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
- Buckingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Manteo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Manteo is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteo
- Axtell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Axtell is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Axtell
- Glenmore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Glenmore is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
- Mount Vinco
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Vinco is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vinco
- Centenary
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Centenary is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centenary
- Alcoma
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Alcoma is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alcoma
- Toga
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Toga is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toga
- Buckingham
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Andersonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Forbes ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Forbes is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbes
- Enonville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Enonville is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enonville
- Dillwyn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista City
- Buena Vista
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Mount Athos ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
- Concord
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Charlottesville City
- Belmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Fluvanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Nicholas
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Nicholas is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholas
- Antioch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Antioch is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Lynchburg City
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Lavino Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
- Lynchburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodbine Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Marlbrook
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Marlbrook is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlbrook
- Davis
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Davis is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Fairfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Riverside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Riverside is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Brownsburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Buffalo Forge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
- East Lexington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- East Lexington is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lexington
- Waynesboro City
- Waynesboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Oak Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Oak Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Ridge.
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 Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Centenary Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Woodland Cemetery is located in Colleen.
- The Woodland Cemetery has also been known as:
- Woodland Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #52729 <3>
- Stevens Cove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- White Rock Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bethlehem UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jonesboro Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesboro Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Jonesboro Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in the vicinity of Jonesboro
- The Jonesboro Cemetery has also been known as:
- Jonesboro Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #50836 <3>
- Giles Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ridgecrest Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Oak Hill Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill Memorial Gardens
- The Oak Hill Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Oak Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
- Oak Hill Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #51478 <3>
- Camden Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harewood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (206 more) ...
- Henley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Locust Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel 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.<4>
While we didn't find Oak Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Arrington
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Colleen
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Colleen is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colleen
- Lovingston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Tye River
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Tye River is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tye River
- Norwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Norwood is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Buffalo Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Buffalo Springs is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Springs
- Roseland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- New Glasgow
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- New Glasgow is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Glasgow
- Bryant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bryant is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
- Greenway
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Greenway is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenway
- Midway Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Midway Mills is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway Mills
- Massies Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Massies Mill is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massies Mill
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Clifford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Clifford is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
- Wingina
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wingina is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wingina
- Warminster
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Warminster is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warminster
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oak Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Oak Ridge ...
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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Ridge, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Ridge.
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 Ridge:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Nelson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Augusta County
- Bedford County
- Buckingham County
- Buena Vista City
- Campbell County
- Charlottesville City
- Fluvanna County
- Lynchburg City
- Rockbridge County
- Waynesboro City
- 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 'straight-line' (or 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- Oak Ridge) 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 Oak Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |