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Home >> State of Virginia >> Gloucester County >> Severn >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Severn (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 Severn. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Severn is located in Gloucester 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 Gloucester County: James City, King and Queen, Middlesex & York.

Below are the counties that are near Severn. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Severn:

  • Gloucester County     (The home county of Severn)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Achilles
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Achilles is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
    • Rowes Haven
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Rowes Haven is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Haven
    • Crab
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Crab is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crab
    • Gloucester Point
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ordinary
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • White Marsh
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Roanes
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Roanes is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
    • Country Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Country Village is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Village
    • Money
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Money is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • York View
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • York View is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
    • Belroi
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Belroi is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
    • Clay Bank
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
  • Hampton City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Newgate Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Newgate Village is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newgate Village
    • Chapel Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel Village
    • Aberdeen Gardens
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Aberdeen Gardens is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen Gardens
    • Buckroe Beach
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Buckroe Beach is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckroe Beach
    • Greenwood Farms
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Greenwood Farms is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Farms
    • Hampton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Pine Chapel Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Pine Chapel Village is located in Hampton City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Chapel Village
    • Phoebus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • 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 Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Rushmere
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rushmere is located in Isle of Wight County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmere
    • Rescue
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Rescue is located in Isle of Wight County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescue
    • Smithfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Magnet
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Magnet is located in Isle of Wight County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
  • James City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Jamestown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Norge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Plain View
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Mattaponi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • West Point
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Romancoke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Romancoke is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Westland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Westland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
    • Weems
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
    • White Stone
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Irvington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Ocran
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Millenbeck
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Ottoman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Kilmarnock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Merry Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Susan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Susan is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
    • Cardinal
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Cardinal is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
    • New Point
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Beaverlett
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
    • Peary
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Peary is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
    • Ruff
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ruff is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
    • Onemo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Onemo is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
    • Mathews
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Diggs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Hartfield
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Wilton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Amburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Grafton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Harmony Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Locust Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Saluda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Urbanna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Remlik
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • New Kent County
    • Plum Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Lee Hall
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
    • Red Hill Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
    • Newport News
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bernard Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
    • Hilton Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Hilton Village is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
  • Norfolk City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Glenwood Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Glenwood Park is located in Norfolk City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Park
    • Monticello Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Monticello Village is located in Norfolk City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monticello Village
    • Sussex
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Sussex is located in Norfolk City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sussex
    • Alantic City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Alantic City is located in Norfolk City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alantic City
    • Norfolk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Cape Charles
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Cherrystone
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Cherrystone is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrystone
    • Bayview
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Bayview is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayview
    • Cheapside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Cheapside is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheapside
    • Cheriton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Pat Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Pat Town is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pat Town
    • Eastville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Bridgetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Bridgetown is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown
    • Machipongo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Birdsnest
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Jamesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jamesville is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
  • Northumberland County
    • Lynhams
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
  • Poquoson City
    • Poquoson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Suffolk City
    • Ames Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Ames Cove is located in Suffolk City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames Cove
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Homewood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Homewood is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
    • Scotland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Scotland is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
    • Surry
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Beachland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Beachland is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beachland
    • Itata
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Itata is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itata
    • Claremont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Claremont is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
  • Virginia Beach City
    • Burtons
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Burtons is located in Virginia Beach City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burtons
  • Williamsburg City
    • Williamsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.
    • Yorktown
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Dare
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Dare is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
    • Lackey
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Lackey is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
    • Yorkville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Yorkville is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville
    • Rochambeau Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Rochambeau Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
    • Charles Corner
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Charles Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
    • Oaktree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Oaktree is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
    • Barlows Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Barlows Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Severn, see our County-by-County Page for Severn.

Cemeteries Near Severn ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Severn.

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 Severn - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Severn covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.

  • Old Groves Memorial Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Sinclair Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Abingdon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Gloucester Field Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Yorktown National Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Zion Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • White Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rosewell Memorial Garden
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (167 more) ...
    • Pole Bridge Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Covill Burial Ground
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Hudgins Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Severn had a population of 127 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Severn, with the one closest to Severn listed first.

  • Achilles
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Achilles is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
  • Gloucester Point
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ordinary
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Yorktown
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • White Marsh
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ware Neck
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Ware Neck is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware Neck
  • Bohannon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bohannon is located in Mathews County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bohannon
  • Roanes
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Roanes is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
  • New Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Port Haywood
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Grafton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Laban
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Laban is located in Mathews County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laban
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • Lee Hall
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
    • Clay Bank
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Severn. See our List of 1890's Communities around Severn.

Newspapers Published in Severn ...

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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Severn.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Severn, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Severn.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Severn:

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 Severn, 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' (or 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- Severn) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.