RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Chesterfield County >> Old Gun >> 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 Old Gun (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 Old Gun. 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 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.

Old Gun is located in Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield County: Amelia, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Henrico, Hopewell City, Prince George & Richmond.

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

  • Chesterfield County     (The home county of Old Gun)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Robious
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Robious is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
    • Bon Air
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Chesterfield Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
    • Midlothian
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Otterdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Otterdale is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterdale
    • Ampt Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ampt Hill is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ampt Hill
    • Bensley Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bensley Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley Village
    • Bensley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bensley is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bensley
    • Beulah Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Beulah Village is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Village
    • Drewrys Bluff
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Drewrys Bluff is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewrys Bluff
    • Bellwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Bellwood is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Chesterfield Court House
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Amelia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Masons Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
    • Ammon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ammon is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
    • Lodore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Lodore is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodore
    • Amelia Court House
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Earls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Earls is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earls
    • Paineville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Paineville is located in Amelia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paineville
  • Caroline County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Burruss Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
    • Ruther Glen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Charles City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Roxbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Roxbury is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
    • Kimages
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimages is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
    • Westover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Westover is located in Charles City County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
  • Colonial Heights City
    • Colonial Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Cumberland County
    • Clinton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Clinton is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
  • Dinwiddie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Addison
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Addison is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
    • Grant Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Grant Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant Village
    • Maitland Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Maitland Village is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maitland Village
    • Sutherland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Hebron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hebron is located in Dinwiddie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
  • Goochland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Oilville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Thorncliff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
    • Maidens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Goochland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandy Hook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandy Hook is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
    • Enon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Enon is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
    • Fife
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hadensville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hanover County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Hylas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Hylas is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
    • Atlee Station
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Atlee Station is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlee Station
    • Mechanicsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Gwathmey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Gwathmey is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwathmey
    • Rockville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Casco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Casco is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
    • Ashland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Goodall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Goodall is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
    • Vontay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Vontay is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vontay
    • Montpelier
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Hanover
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylorsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Taylorsville is located in Hanover County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville
  • Henrico County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Lorraine
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lorraine is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
    • Tuckahoe
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Tuckahoe Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Tuckahoe Village is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe Village
    • Dumbarton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
    • Short Pump
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Lakeside
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Lakeside is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
    • Laurel Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Laurel Village is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Village
    • Laurel
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Laurel is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • East Highland Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • East Highland Park is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Highland Park
    • Chamberlayne
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Chamberlayne is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlayne
    • Glen Allen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Longdale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Longdale is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longdale
  • Hopewell City
    • Hopewell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Enfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Enfield is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enfield
    • Manquin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Tuck Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Tuck Fork is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuck Fork
    • Rumford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rumford is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Willowbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
    • Shelfar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Shelfar is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
    • Gays ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Gays is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays
    • Jackson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jackson is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
    • Bumpass
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bumpass is located in Louisa County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpass
      • Bumpass has also been known as:
      • Bumpas
      • Bumpass Junction
      • Bumpass Station
      • Bumpass Turnout
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bumpass <1>
  • New Kent County
    • Tunstall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Tunstall is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunstall
  • Nottoway County
    • Spainville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Spainville is located in Nottoway County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spainville
  • Petersburg City
    • Petersburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Powhatan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Huguenot
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
    • Dorset
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Dorset is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
    • Pilkinton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
    • Michaux
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Michaux is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
    • Beaumont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
    • Belona
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Belona is located in Powhatan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belona
  • Prince George County
    • Garysville
      (30 miles [48.3 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 Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Richmond
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Montrose Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • 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 Old Gun, with the one closest to Old Gun listed first.
    • Chippenham Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
    • Cherry Gardens
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cherry Gardens is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Gardens
    • Walmsley Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 Old Gun, see our County-by-County Page for Old Gun.

Cemeteries Near Old Gun ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Old Gun.

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 Old Gun - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Trabur Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Pisgah Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Gravel Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Central Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Westhampton Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery is located outside of Richmond
    • The Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ridge Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #202767 <3>
  • Brown Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Giea Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenwood Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. James Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (249 more) ...
    • Bethel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Tomahawk Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)

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 Old Gun in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Old Gun.

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

  • Robious
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Robious is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
  • Bon Air
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Lorraine
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lorraine is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
  • Midlothian
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Westham
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Westham is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westham
  • Vinita
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Vinita is located in Goochland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinita
  • Huguenot
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
  • Hallsboro
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hallsboro is located in Chesterfield County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
  • Gayton ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Gayton is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayton
  • Dumbarton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
  • Erin Shades
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Erin Shades is located in Henrico County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erin Shades
  • Manakin
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Manakin is located in Goochland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manakin
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Otterdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Otterdale is located in Chesterfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterdale
    • Laurel
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Laurel is located in Henrico County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
    • Boscobel
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Boscobel is located in Goochland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boscobel

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

Newspapers Published in Old Gun ...

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 Old Gun.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Old Gun, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Old Gun.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Old Gun:

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 drawn from Point A (ie- Old Gun) 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 Old Gun, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.