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 Retz (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 Retz. 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 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.
Retz is located in Mathews 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 Mathews County: Gloucester & Middlesex.
Below are the counties that are near Retz. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Retz:
- Mathews County (The home county of Retz)
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Mathews
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cardinal
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Cardinal is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
- Beaverlett
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
- Ruff
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ruff is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
- Diggs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Onemo
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Onemo is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
- Susan
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Susan is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
- Peary
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Peary is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
- New Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Accomack County
- Belle Haven
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Gloucester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- North
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roanes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Gloucester Courthouse
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
- Money
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Money is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
- Rowes Haven
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rowes Haven is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Haven
- White Marsh
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Freeport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Freeport is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Achilles
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Achilles is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
- Ordinary
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ark
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Ark is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
- Country Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Country Village is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
- Belroi
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Belroi is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
- Hampton City
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Newgate Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
- Buckroe Beach
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Buckroe Beach is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckroe Beach
- Aberdeen Gardens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Aberdeen Gardens is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen Gardens
- Chapel Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Village
- Greenwood Farms
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Greenwood Farms is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Farms
- Hampton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Phoebus
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Phoebus is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phoebus
- Pine Chapel Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pine Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Chapel Village
- Isle of Wight County
- Rushmere
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rushmere is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmere
- James City County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Norge
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Jamestown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- King and Queen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Plain View
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Plain View is located in King and Queen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
- Mattaponi
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- King William County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- West Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Romancoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Romancoke is located in King William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Westland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Westland is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
- White Stone
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Ocran
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Ocran is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
- Irvington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Weems
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Weems is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
- Millenbeck
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
- Kilmarnock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ottoman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
- Merry Point
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
- Richtown
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Richtown is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
- Lankford Corner
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
- Griffins Landing
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
- Middlesex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Amburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Amburg is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Wilton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Stingray Point
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
- Hartfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Grafton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grafton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
- Harmony Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
- Locust Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Saluda
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Urbanna
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Remlik
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nesting
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nesting is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
- New Kent County
- Plum Point
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Plum Point is located in New Kent County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
- Newport News City
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Lee Hall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
- Red Hill Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
- Bernard Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
- Newport News
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hilton Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hilton Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Northampton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Cherrystone
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cherrystone is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrystone
- Eastville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cape Charles
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bridgetown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Bridgetown is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown
- Jamesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Jamesville is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
- Pat Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pat Town is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pat Town
- Bayview
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bayview is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
- Cheriton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Machipongo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Cove Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
- Birdsnest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cheapside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cheapside is located in Northampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheapside
- Northumberland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Lynhams
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
- Remo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Remo is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
- Fleeton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
- Reedville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Blackwells
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
- Lara
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lara is located in Northumberland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
- Poquoson City
- Poquoson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Richmond County
- Simonson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Simonson is located in Richmond County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Homewood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Scotland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Scotland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Williamsburg City
- Williamsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Yorktown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lackey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lackey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
- Dare
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dare is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
- Yorkville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Yorkville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
- Charles Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Charles Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
- Rochambeau Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rochambeau Village is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
- Barlows Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Barlows Corner is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
- Oaktree
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Oaktree is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Retz, see our County-by-County Page for Retz.
Cemeteries Near Retz ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Retz.
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 Retz - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Retz covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Providence Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Ruff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Mickelborough Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Williams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Christ Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Perkins Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- White Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Poplar Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- First Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Trinity Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sibley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hudgins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Continue List (161 more) ...
- Hurst - Ward Burial Ground
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bowen - Sadler Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Mathews Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
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 Retz in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Retz.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Retz, with the one closest to Retz listed first.
- Bohannon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Bohannon is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohannon
- Port Haywood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hudgins
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hudgins is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudgins
- Laban
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Laban is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laban
- Diggs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Fitchetts
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Fitchetts is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitchetts
- Cricket Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Cricket Hill is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket Hill
- Blakes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Blakes is located in Mathews County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
- Cobbs Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Ware Neck
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ware Neck is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware Neck
- New Point
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wilton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
- Roanes
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Roanes is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
- Severn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Severn is located in Gloucester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severn
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Retz. See our List of 1890's Communities around Retz.
Newspapers Published in Retz ...
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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Retz.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Retz, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Retz.
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 helpful 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 Retz:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Mathews County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Accomack County
- Gloucester County
- Hampton City
- Isle of Wight County
- James City County
- King and Queen County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Middlesex County
- New Kent County
- Newport News City
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Poquoson City
- Richmond County
- Surry County
- Williamsburg City
- York 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 Retz, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Retz) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |