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 Penn Laird (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 Penn Laird. 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.
Penn Laird 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 Penn Laird. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Penn Laird:
- Rockingham County (The home county of Penn Laird)
- The following are listed by their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Keezletown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Massanetta Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] 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)
- McGaheysville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Massanutten
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- North River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Berrytown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Berrytown is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrytown
- 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)
- Bridgewater
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird 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
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mountfair is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountfair
- Free Union
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Crozet
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- 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
- Decca ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Decca is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decca
- Yancey Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Yancey Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yancey Mills
- Earlysville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Logan Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Logan Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan Village
- Augusta County
- The following are listed by their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Grottoes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Weyers Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Sampson
(14 miles [22.5 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
(18 miles [29 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
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Fishersville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Churchville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jolivue
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jolivue is located in Augusta County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jolivue
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Belmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Belmont is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- 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 Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird 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
- Amicus
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Amicus is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amicus
- Kinderhook
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Stanardsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Quinque
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Quinque is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinque
- Dawsonville
(27 miles [43.5 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 Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Hood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wolftown
(24 miles [38.6 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 Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Afton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Durrett Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Durrett Town is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durrett Town
- Onan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Onan is located in Nelson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onan
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird 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 Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird 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
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Basye - Bryce Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 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 Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Propstburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
- Brandywine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- 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
- Sugar Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Penn Laird, see our County-by-County Page for Penn Laird.
Cemeteries Near Penn Laird ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Penn Laird.
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 Penn Laird - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Penn Laird covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Armentrout Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Mountain Grove Community Chapel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Keezletown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- 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.
- 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
- Mt. Olive Brethren Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Eastlawn Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastlawn Memorial Gardens
- The Eastlawn Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
- Eastlawn Memorial Cemetery
- Mt. Pleasant Church Of The Brethren Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Mill Creek Church of the Brethren Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- New Hope UCC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Peaked Mtn. Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (394 more) ...
- Mabel Memorial Presbyterian Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Webster Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Sinai UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- 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.<2>
While we didn't find Penn Laird in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Penn Laird.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Penn Laird, with the one closest to Penn Laird listed first.
- Keezletown
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- 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
- Massanetta Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Massanetta Springs is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massanetta Springs
- 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
- McGaheysville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Peach Grove ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Peach Grove is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Grove
- Friedens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Friedens is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friedens
- Lynnwood
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Lynnwood is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynnwood
- Almond ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Almond is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
- Pleasant Valley
(5 miles [8 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 west)
- North River is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Port Republic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Paulington ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Paulington is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paulington
- Melrose
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Melrose is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Penn Laird. See our List of 1890's Communities around Penn Laird.
Newspapers Published in Penn Laird ...
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 Penn Laird.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Penn Laird, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Penn Laird.
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 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 Penn Laird:
- 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> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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 Penn Laird, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Penn Laird) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |