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 Peales Crossroads (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 Peales Crossroads. 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 Peales Crossroads ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Peales Crossroads: Peales Xrds.
- While the name of this community is Peales Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Peales Crossroads may originally have been Peale's Crossroads.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Peales Crossroads might be written as Peale Crossroads.
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 northwest 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 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.
Peales Crossroads is located in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County: Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Page, Shenandoah, Hardy (WV) & Pendleton (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Peales Crossroads. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Peales Crossroads:
- Rockingham County (The home county of Peales Crossroads)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Keezletown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Massanetta Springs
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Massanetta Springs is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massanetta Springs
- Montevideo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Montevideo is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevideo
- Cross Keys
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Goods Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Goods Mill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goods Mill
- Massanutten
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- McGaheysville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- North River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Melrose
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Melrose is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Dayton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Crawford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Berrytown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Berrytown is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrytown
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Boonesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Boonesville is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonesville
- Cedarmere
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cedarmere is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Mountfair
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mountfair is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountfair
- White Hall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- White Hall is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Hall
- Free Union
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Foothill Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Foothill Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foothill Village
- Crozet
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Decca ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Decca is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decca
- Yancey Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Yancey Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yancey Mills
- Advance Mills Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Advance Mills Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advance Mills Village
- Advance Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Advance Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advance Mills
- Advance Mills has also been known as:
- Fray's Mills
- Earlysville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Augusta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Grottoes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Weyers Cave
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sampson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Sampson is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
- Mount Solon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Crimora
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Verona
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Parnassus
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Parnassus is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnassus
- Stokesville ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Stokesville is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesville
- Dooms
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dooms is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooms
- Brand
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Churchville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fishersville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Charlottesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Grove is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Grove
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Cedarmere ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cedarmere is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Kinderhook
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Amicus
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Amicus is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amicus
- Stanardsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Quinque
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Quinque is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinque
- Dawsonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Dawsonville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawsonville
- Harrisonburg City
- Harrisonburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Highland County
- Palo Alto
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Palo Alto is located in Highland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Hood
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Wolftown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ruth
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ruth is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Syria
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Madison
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Nelson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Afton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Onan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Onan is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onan
- Durrett Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Durrett Town is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durrett Town
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Verbena
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Verbena is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Shenandoah
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stanley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Marksville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Marksville is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
- Leaksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Leaksville is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaksville
- Luray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kimball
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kimball is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
- Shenandoah County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- New Market
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Clifton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Clifton is located in Shenandoah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clifton
- Mount Jackson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rinkerton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rinkerton is located in Shenandoah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rinkerton
- Orkney Springs
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Basye - Bryce Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Staunton City
- Staunton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Waynesboro City
- Waynesboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Pendleton County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Brandywine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Propstburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
- Sugar Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Fort Seybert
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Seybert is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Seybert
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Peales Crossroads, see our County-by-County Page for Peales Crossroads.
Cemeteries Near Peales Crossroads ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peales Crossroads.
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 Peales Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Peales Crossroads covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Armentrout Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Keezletown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Eastlawn Memorial Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastlawn Memorial Gardens
- The Eastlawn Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Eastlawn Memorial Cemetery
- Cross Keys Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Keys Cemetery
- The Cross Keys Cemetery has also been known as:
- Massanutten Cross Keys Cemetery
- Pirkey Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pirkey Family Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pirkey Family Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Cross Keys.
- Mountain Grove Community Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Webster Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Church Of The Brethren Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- St. Jacob's Spader Lutheran Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- New Hope UCC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mill Creek Church of the Brethren Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Mt. Olive Brethren Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (391 more) ...
- Mabel Memorial Presbyterian Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Good Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Sinai UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Sinai UMC Cemetery
- The Mt. Sinai UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Vision of Hope UMC Cemetery
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>
While we didn't find Peales Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Peales Crossroads.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Peales Crossroads, with the one closest to Peales Crossroads listed first.
- Keezletown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Massanetta Springs
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Massanetta Springs is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massanetta Springs
- Cross Keys
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Montevideo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Montevideo is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevideo
- Peach Grove ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Peach Grove is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Grove
- Goods Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Goods Mill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goods Mill
- Friedens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Friedens is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens
- McGaheysville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Valley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- North River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Port Republic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lynnwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lynnwood is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Almond ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Almond is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
- Paulington ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Paulington is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulington
- Mount Crawford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Peales Crossroads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Peales Crossroads.
Newspapers Published in Peales Crossroads ...
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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Peales Crossroads.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peales Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Peales Crossroads.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Peales Crossroads:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Rockingham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Augusta County
- Charlottesville City
- Greene County
- Harrisonburg City
- Highland County
- Madison County
- Nelson County
- Page County
- Shenandoah County
- Staunton City
- Waynesboro City
- Pendleton County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Peales Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Peales Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |