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 Porta Bello (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 Porta Bello. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Porta Bello is located in York 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 York County: Gloucester, Hampton City, James City, Mathews, Northampton & Williamsburg City.
Below are the counties that are near Porta Bello. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Porta Bello:
- York County (The home county of Porta Bello)
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Oaktree
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
- Charles Corner
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Charles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
- Barlows Corner
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Barlows Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
- Lackey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lackey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
- Rochambeau Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rochambeau Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
- Yorktown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dare
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dare is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
- Yorkville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Yorkville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
- Charles City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Ruthville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Ruthville is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthville
- Charles City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Westover
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Westover is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westover
- Roxbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Roxbury is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxbury
- Kimages
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kimages is located in Charles City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimages
- Gloucester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Clay Bank
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
- York View
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- York View is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
- Country Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Country Village is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- Belroi
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Belroi is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
- Ordinary
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- White Marsh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crab
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Crab is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crab
- Gloucester Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Roanes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Money
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Money is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Ark
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Ark is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
- Gloucester Courthouse
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
- Achilles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Achilles is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
- Hampton City
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Newgate Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
- Greenwood Farms
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Greenwood Farms is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Farms
- Aberdeen Gardens
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Aberdeen Gardens is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen Gardens
- Chapel Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Village
- Pine Chapel Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Chapel Village
- Hampton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Buckroe Beach
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Buckroe Beach is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckroe Beach
- Phoebus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Phoebus is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoebus
- Isle of Wight County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Rushmere
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rushmere is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmere
- Rescue
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Rescue is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescue
- Magnet
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Magnet is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Smithfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Raynor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Raynor is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynor
- James City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Norge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jamestown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Plain View
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Plain View is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
- Mattaponi
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- King and Queen Court House
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- West Point
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Romancoke
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Lanesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lanesville is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Millenbeck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Weems
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Irvington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- White Stone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ottoman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
- Ocran
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ocran is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
- Westland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Westland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
- Monaskon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
- Mathews County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Cardinal
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cardinal is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
- Susan
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Susan is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
- Beaverlett
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
- Ruff
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ruff is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
- New Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Peary
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Peary is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
- Mathews
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Onemo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Onemo is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
- Diggs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Grafton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Grafton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Hartfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Saluda
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Harmony Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
- Wilton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Urbanna
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Amburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Amburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
- Remlik
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Stingray Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
- Nesting
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Nesting is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
- New Kent County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Plum Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- New Kent
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Newport News City
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Lee Hall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
- Red Hill Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
- Bernard Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
- Newport News
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hilton Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hilton Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Poquoson City
- Poquoson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Prince George County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Burrowsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Burrowsville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
- Garysville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Garysville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garysville
- Newville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Newville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Southampton County
- Ivor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Suffolk City
- Chuckatuck
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Chuckatuck is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckatuck
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Homewood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Scotland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Scotland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Surry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Beachland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Beachland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beachland
- Itata
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Itata is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itata
- Claremont
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Claremont is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Spring Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Grove is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Dendron
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Carsley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carsley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsley
- Sussex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Wakefield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Waverly
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Williamsburg City
- Williamsburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Porta Bello, see our County-by-County Page for Porta Bello.
Cemeteries Near Porta Bello ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Porta Bello.
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 Porta Bello - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Porta Bello covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Bruton Parish Churchyard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Galt Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jones Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Grove Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hospital Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cheesecake Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Gilead Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Curtis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Williamsburg Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jackson Post Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (184 more) ...
- Gloucester Field Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Providence Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rosewell Memorial Garden
(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.<3>
While we didn't find Porta Bello in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Porta Bello.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Porta Bello, with the one closest to Porta Bello listed first.
- Oaktree
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
- Clay Bank
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
- Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Grove is located in James City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Ewell
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ewell is located in James City County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewell
- Allmondsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Allmondsville is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allmondsville
- Lightfoot
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Homewood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Ordinary
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- White Marsh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sassafras
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Sassafras is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassafras
- Lee Hall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
- Yorktown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Gloucester Point
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Roanes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Jamestown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Porta Bello. See our List of 1890's Communities around Porta Bello.
Newspapers Published in Porta Bello ...
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 67 newspapers that have been published in the area around Porta Bello.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Porta Bello, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Porta Bello.
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 Porta Bello:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to York County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Charles City County
- Gloucester County
- Hampton City
- Isle of Wight County
- James City County
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Mathews County
- Middlesex County
- New Kent County
- Newport News City
- Poquoson City
- Prince George County
- Southampton County
- Suffolk City
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Williamsburg City
- 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> | 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 Porta Bello, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Porta Bello) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |