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 Sampson (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 Sampson. 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 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.
Sampson is located in Augusta 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 Augusta County: Albemarle, Bath, Highland, Nelson, Rockbridge, Rockingham & Pendleton (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Sampson. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sampson:
- Augusta County (The home county of Sampson)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Crimora
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Dooms
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dooms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooms
- Dooms is located in Augusta County
- Grottoes
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Weyers Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Fishersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishersville
- Fishersville is located in Augusta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fishersville <1>
- Verona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Brand
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brand. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Brand
- From Sampson to Brand
- Lyndhurst
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lipscomb
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lipscomb. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lipscomb
- Lipscomb is located in Augusta County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Lipscomb
- From Sampson to Lipscomb
- Jolivue
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Sherando
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stuarts Draft
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Mountfair
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Foothill Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foothill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foothill Village
- Foothill Village is located in Albemarle County
- White Hall
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Crozet
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Yancey Mills
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Boonesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Decca ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Decca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decca
- Decca is located in Albemarle County
- Batesville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cedarmere
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedarmere. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Cedarmere is located in Albemarle County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Cedarmere
- From Sampson to Cedarmere
- Free Union
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ivy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ednam Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ednam Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ednam Village
- Ednam Village is located in Albemarle County
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Belmont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Charlottesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Cedarmere ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedarmere. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Cedarmere is located in Greene County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Cedarmere
- From Sampson to Cedarmere
- Amicus
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amicus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amicus
- Amicus is located in Greene County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Amicus
- From Sampson to Amicus
- Stanardsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanardsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanardsville
- Stanardsville is located in Greene County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 393 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanardsville <1>
- Quinque
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Kinderhook
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dawsonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Harrisonburg City
- Harrisonburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Hood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wolftown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Afton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Onan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Durrett Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durrett Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durrett Town
- Durrett Town is located in Nelson County
- Greenfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Greenfield is located in Nelson County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Greenfield
- From Sampson to Greenfield
- Lodebar
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Nellysford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Adial
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Faber
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Old Myndus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Tyro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bryant
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bryant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
- Bryant is located in Nelson County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Bryant
- From Sampson to Bryant
- Rockfish
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Orange County
- Barboursville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Verbena
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Verbena. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Verbena is located in Page County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Verbena
- From Sampson to Verbena
- Shenandoah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shenandoah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
- Shenandoah is located in Page County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,334 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shenandoah <1>
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Davis
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
- Davis is located in Rockbridge County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Davis
- From Sampson to Davis
- Brownsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Marlbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rockingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Goods Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Goods Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goods Mill
- Goods Mill is located in Rockingham County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Goods Mill
- From Sampson to Goods Mill
- Cross Keys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- North River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Montevideo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montevideo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevideo
- Montevideo is located in Rockingham County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Montevideo
- From Sampson to Montevideo
- Mount Crawford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- McGaheysville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Massanetta Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Keezletown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Berrytown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bridgewater
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dayton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Massanutten
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Massanutten have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massanutten
- Massanutten is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Massanutten <1>
- Staunton City
- Staunton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Waynesboro City
- Waynesboro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sampson, see our County-by-County Page for Sampson.
Cemeteries Near Sampson ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sampson.
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 Sampson covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Mt. Bethel UMC Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Paul Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hildebrand Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hildebrand Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hildebrand Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Edgewood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Edgewood Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Edgewood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Old Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Old Forge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Forge Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Forge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cash Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cash Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Mt. Moriah UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mt. Marine Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (376 more) ...
- Old Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Fairview Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Valley Church Of The Brethren Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
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.<6>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Sampson had a population of 12 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sampson, with the one closest to Sampson listed first.
- Madrid
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madrid have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
- Madrid is located in Augusta County
- Harriston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harriston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harriston
- Harriston is located in Augusta County
- New Hope
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- New Hope is located in Augusta County
- Hermitage
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermitage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermitage
- Hermitage is located in Augusta County
- Dooms
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dooms have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooms
- Dooms is located in Augusta County
- Laurel Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Laurel Hill is located in Augusta County
- Annex
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Annex have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Annex
- Annex is located in Augusta County
- Fishersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishersville
- Fishersville is located in Augusta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fishersville <1>
- Weyers Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Port Republic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Port Republic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Republic
- Port Republic is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Port Republic <1>
- Mount Sidney
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Sidney have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sidney
- Mount Sidney is located in Augusta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Sidney <1>
- Fort Defiance
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Defiance have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Defiance
- Fort Defiance is located in Augusta County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Defiance <1>
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Verona
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Brand
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brand. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
- Brand is located in Augusta County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Brand
- From Sampson to Brand
- Ladd
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ladd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladd
- Ladd is located in Augusta County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sampson. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sampson.
Newspapers Published in Sampson ...
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 81 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sampson.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sampson, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sampson.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Sampson:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Augusta County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Charlottesville City
- Greene County
- Harrisonburg City
- Madison County
- Nelson County
- Orange County
- Page County
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Staunton City
- Waynesboro City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sampson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Augusta County: www.co.augusta.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
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 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> | 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. |
<4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sampson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sampson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.1742, Longitude: -78.8474 In this case, the coordinates for Sampson have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
<5> | 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. |
<6> | 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 Sampson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |