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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Paytes (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 Paytes. 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.

Paytes is located in Spotsylvania County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Spotsylvania County: Caroline, Culpeper, Hanover, Louisa, Orange & Stafford.

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

  • Spotsylvania County     (The home county of Paytes)
  • Albemarle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Cobham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Burnley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Burnley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnley
      • Burnley is located in Albemarle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Burnley
      • From Paytes to Burnley
    • Gilbert
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gilbert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
      • Gilbert is located in Albemarle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gilbert
      • From Paytes to Gilbert
  • Caroline County
  • Culpeper County
  • Fauquier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Remington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Remington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remington
      • Remington is located in Fauquier County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 661 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Remington <3>
    • Bealeton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Blackwell Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackwell Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwell Town
      • Blackwell Town is located in Fauquier County
    • Midland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Opal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Brent Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brent Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Town
      • Brent Town is located in Fauquier County
    • Turnbull
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Turnbull. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
      • Turnbull is located in Fauquier County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Turnbull
      • From Paytes to Turnbull
  • Fluvanna County
  • Fredericksburg City
  • Goochland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Tabscott
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tabscott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabscott
      • Tabscott is located in Goochland County
    • Hadensville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Dawsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dawsonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawsonville
      • Dawsonville is located in Greene County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dawsonville
      • From Paytes to Dawsonville
    • Quinque
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hanover County
  • Louisa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Harris ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harris have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
      • Harris is located in Louisa County
    • Mineral
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
      • Mineral is located in Louisa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 529 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mineral <3>
    • Pendleton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pendleton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
      • Pendleton is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pendleton
      • From Paytes to Pendleton
    • Louisa
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisa
      • Louisa is located in Louisa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,764 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Louisa <3>
    • Trevilians
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bumpass
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Green Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Meltons
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Cuckoo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Vigor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vigor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
      • Vigor is located in Louisa County
    • Bells Crossroads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Medlock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Medlock. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medlock
      • Medlock is located in Louisa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Medlock
      • From Paytes to Medlock
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Madison Mills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Burnt Tree
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Aroda
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Tryme
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tryme. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryme
      • Tryme is located in Madison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tryme
      • From Paytes to Tryme
    • Madison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
      • Madison is located in Madison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Madison <3>
    • Ruth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wolftown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Orange County
  • Rappahannock County
  • Stafford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Paytes, with the one closest to Paytes listed first.
    • Storck
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Stafford Lakes Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stafford Lakes Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stafford Lakes Village
      • Stafford Lakes Village is located in Stafford County
    • Berea
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Berea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
      • Berea is located in Stafford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Berea
      • From Paytes to Berea
    • Falmouth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
      • Falmouth is located in Stafford County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falmouth <3>
    • Cropp
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartwood Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartwood Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwood Village
      • Hartwood Village is located in Stafford County
    • Chatham Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Village
      • Chatham Village is located in Stafford County
    • Falmouth Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falmouth Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Village
      • Falmouth Village is located in Stafford County
    • Grafton Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grafton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton Village
      • Grafton Village is located in Stafford County
    • Hampstead Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hampstead Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampstead Village
      • Hampstead Village is located in Stafford County
    • Little Falls Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Falls Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls Village
      • Little Falls Village is located in Stafford County

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

Cemeteries Near Paytes ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Paytes.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Craigs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Craigs Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Craigs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Hope Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Orange Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orange Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orange Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Olivet Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Olivet Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • True Light Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the True Light Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the True Light Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Salem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Hermon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Hermon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Hermon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Branch Fork Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Branch Fork Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Branch Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grace Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Sinai Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rhoadesville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rhoadesville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rhoadesville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (190 more) ...

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.<5>

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

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

  • Granite Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Granite Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granite Springs
    • Granite Springs is located in Spotsylvania County
  • Mine Run
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mine Run have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mine Run
    • Mine Run is located in Orange County
  • Tatum
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tatum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tatum
    • Tatum is located in Orange County
  • Verdiersville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verdiersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verdiersville
    • Verdiersville is located in Orange County
  • Vulcan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vulcan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
    • Vulcan is located in Orange County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Vulcan
    • From Paytes to Vulcan
  • Danton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Danton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danton
    • Danton is located in Orange County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Danton
    • From Paytes to Danton
  • Belmont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Stubbs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stubbs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
    • Stubbs is located in Spotsylvania County
  • Parker
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parker. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Parker is located in Spotsylvania County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Parker
    • From Paytes to Parker
  • Locust Grove
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Rhoadesville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Lahore
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lahore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lahore
    • Lahore is located in Orange County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Holladay
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Holladay. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holladay
      • Holladay is located in Spotsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Holladay
      • From Paytes to Holladay
    • Unionville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Unionville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
      • Unionville is located in Orange County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Unionville <3>
    • Burr Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Paytes ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Paytes.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Paytes, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Paytes.

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 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 Paytes:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Paytes. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Spotsylvania County: www.spotsylvania.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Paytes, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Paytes) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Paytes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2274, Longitude: -77.8326    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025