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 Orchid (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 Orchid. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Orchid is located in Louisa 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 Louisa County: Fluvanna, Goochland, Hanover, Orange & Spotsylvania.
Below are the counties that are near Orchid. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Orchid:
- Louisa County (The home county of Orchid)
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Shelfar
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Shelfar is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelfar
- Gays ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gays is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays
- Willowbrook
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Willowbrook is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowbrook
- Jackson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Cuckoo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cuckoo is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuckoo
- Vigor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vigor is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
- Pendleton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Pendleton is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
- Mineral
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bumpass
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- 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>
- Bells Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bells Crossroads is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Crossroads
- Louisa
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Harris ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harris is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Cobham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cobham is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobham
- Keswick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Woodridge is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodridge
- Shadwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Shadwell is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shadwell
- Rose Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Rose Hill is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Amelia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Lodore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lodore is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodore
- Masons Corner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Masons Corner is located in Amelia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masons Corner
- Buckingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- New Canton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- New Canton is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
- Bridgeport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bridgeport is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgeport
- Arvonia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gold Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gold Hill is located in Buckingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Caroline County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Ruther Glen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Burruss Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Burruss Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burruss Corner
- Penola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Penola is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
- Chesterfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Midlothian
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Robious
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Robious is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robious
- Bon Air
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Otterdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Otterdale is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otterdale
- Chesterfield Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Chesterfield Village is located in Chesterfield County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield Village
- Cumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Lakeside Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeside Village is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside Village
- Trenton Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Trenton Mills is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trenton Mills
- Clinton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Clinton is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Trents Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Trents Mill is located in Cumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trents Mill
- Cumberland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fluvanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Kents Store
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Kents Store is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kents Store
- Columbia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Fork Union
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Weber City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Lake Monticello
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lake Monticello is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Monticello
- Antioch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Antioch is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Goochland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Sandy Hook
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sandy Hook is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Hadensville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Enon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Enon is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
- Tabscott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Tabscott is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabscott
- Goochland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Oilville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fife
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Maidens
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Caledonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Caledonia is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Thorncliff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Thorncliff is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorncliff
- Hanover County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Vontay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vontay is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vontay
- Montpelier
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Tylers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tylers is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylers
- Rockville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Casco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Casco is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casco
- Goodall
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Goodall is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodall
- Beaverdam
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hylas
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hylas is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hylas
- Hewlett
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Hewlett is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewlett
- Verdon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Verdon is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdon
- Ashland
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Doswell
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Henrico County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Wyndham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wyndham is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyndham
- Short Pump
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Tuckahoe Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tuckahoe Village is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe Village
- Hunton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Hunton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunton
- Lorraine
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Lorraine is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorraine
- Glen Allen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Laurel Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Laurel Village is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Village
- Laurel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Laurel is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel
- Quail Walk
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Quail Walk is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quail Walk
- Tuckahoe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dumbarton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Dumbarton is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumbarton
- Longdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Longdale is located in Henrico County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longdale
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Danton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Danton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danton
- Gordonsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Vulcan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Vulcan is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- Madison Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Madison Run is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Run
- Grassland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Grassland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassland
- Rhoadesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Powhatan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Beaumont
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Beaumont is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaumont
- Michaux
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Michaux is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Michaux
- Huguenot
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Huguenot is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huguenot
- Belona
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Belona is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belona
- Dorset
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Dorset is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorset
- Pilkinton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pilkinton is located in Powhatan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilkinton
- Richmond County
- Chippenham Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chippenham Village is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chippenham Village
- Spotsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Glenora
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Glenora is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenora
- Lewiston
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Lewiston is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
- Childs Cove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Childs Cove is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs Cove
- Holladay
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Holladay is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holladay
- Partlow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Belmont is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Margo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Margo is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margo
- Marye
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Marye is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marye
- McHenry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- McHenry is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
- Post Oak
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Post Oak is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak
- Logan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Logan is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
- Arcadia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Arcadia is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Orchid, see our County-by-County Page for Orchid.
Cemeteries Near Orchid ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Orchid.
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 Orchid - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Orchid covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Shelton Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Cooke Family Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Payne Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Grubbs Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bowles Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bethel UMC Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- The Church of Our Saviour Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Spring Grove Memorial Park Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Immaculate Conception Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- St. Peters Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Martin Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Henson Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (159 more) ...
- Hope Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Little Fork Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Belmead Cemetery
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
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, Orchid had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Orchid, with the one closest to Orchid listed first.
- Gum Spring
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Apple Grove is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Sandy Hook
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sandy Hook is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Hook
- Jackson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Hadensville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Dabneys
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dabneys is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabneys
- Locust Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Creek is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Creek
- Enon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Enon is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
- Perkinsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Perkinsville is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perkinsville
- Cuckoo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cuckoo is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuckoo
- Mabelton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Mabelton is located in Hanover County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabelton
- Longcreek ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Longcreek is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longcreek
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Vigor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vigor is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
- Shannon Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Shannon Hill is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon Hill
- Bula
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bula is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bula
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Orchid. See our List of 1890's Communities around Orchid.
Newspapers Published in Orchid ...
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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Orchid.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Orchid, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Orchid.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Orchid:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Louisa County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Amelia County
- Buckingham County
- Caroline County
- Chesterfield County
- Cumberland County
- Fluvanna County
- Goochland County
- Hanover County
- Henrico County
- Orange County
- Powhatan County
- Richmond County
- Spotsylvania County
- 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> | 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Orchid) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Orchid, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |