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 Somerset (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 Somerset. 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 hospitals 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.
Somerset is located in Orange 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 Orange County: Albemarle, Culpeper, Greene, Louisa, Madison & Spotsylvania.
Below are the counties that are near Somerset. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Somerset:
- Orange County (The home county of Somerset)
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Montpelier Station
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Madison Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Madison Run is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Run
- Barboursville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gordonsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Orange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grassland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Grassland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassland
- Danton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Danton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danton
- Rhoadesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Vulcan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Vulcan is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- True Blue
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- True Blue is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True Blue
- Burr Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Burr Hill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Hill
- Locust Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Albemarle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Burnley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Burnley is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnley
- Gilbert
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gilbert is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
- Rosena
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rosena is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosena
- Cobham
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Cobham is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobham
- Advance Mills Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Advance Mills Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advance Mills Village
- Jefferson Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jefferson Village is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
- Advance Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Advance Mills is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advance Mills
- Advance Mills has also been known as:
- Fray's Mills
- Hollymead
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hollymead is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollymead
- Eastham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Eastham is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastham
- Keswick
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Monacan Town ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Monacan Town is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monacan Town
- Earlysville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Charlottesville City
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Locust Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Locust Grove is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Grove
- Belmont
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Belmont is located in Charlottesville City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Charlottesville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Culpeper County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Waylands Mill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Waylands Mill is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waylands Mill
- Culpeper
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Griffinsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Griffinsburg is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffinsburg
- Norman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Norman is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norman
- Salem
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Salem is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Lignum
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lignum is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lignum
- Eggbornsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Eggbornsville is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eggbornsville
- Elkwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rixeyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rixeyville is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixeyville
- Homeland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Homeland is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
- Kellys Ford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kellys Ford is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Ford
- Fluvanna County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Lake Monticello
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Lake Monticello is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Monticello
- Kents Store
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kents Store is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kents Store
- Antioch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Antioch is located in Fluvanna County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Fork Union
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Goochland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Tabscott
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Tabscott is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tabscott
- Caledonia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Caledonia is located in Goochland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caledonia
- Hadensville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Dawsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dawsonville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawsonville
- Quinque
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Quinque is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinque
- Stanardsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Amicus
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Amicus is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amicus
- Kinderhook
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kinderhook is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinderhook
- Cedarmere ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cedarmere is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
- Louisa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Meltons
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Meltons is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meltons
- Green Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Green Springs is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Springs
- Medlock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Medlock is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medlock
- Trevilians
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Trevilians is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trevilians
- Louisa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bells Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bells Crossroads is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bells Crossroads
- Mineral
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pendleton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pendleton is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
- Vigor
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vigor is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vigor
- Cuckoo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cuckoo is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuckoo
- Harris ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Harris is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Burnt Tree
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Burnt Tree is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Tree
- Madison Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Madison Mills is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Mills
- Radiant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Radiant is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radiant
- Aroda
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Aroda is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aroda
- Madison
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Wolftown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ruth
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Ruth is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Hood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tryme
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Tryme is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryme
- Syria
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Peola Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Peola Mills is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peola Mills
- Page County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Verbena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Verbena is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
- Marksville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Marksville is located in Page County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marksville
- Shenandoah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stanley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rappahannock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Slate Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Slate Mills is located in Rappahannock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate Mills
- Scrabble
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Scrabble is located in Rappahannock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scrabble
- Woodville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Woodville is located in Rappahannock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Rockingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Swift Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Swift Run is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swift Run
- Elkton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Berrytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Berrytown is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berrytown
- McGaheysville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Spotsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Belmont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Belmont is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Holladay
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Holladay is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holladay
- Childs Cove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Childs Cove is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs Cove
- Paytes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Paytes is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paytes
- Glenora
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Glenora is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenora
- Logan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Logan is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
- Parker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Parker is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
- Margo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Margo is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Margo
- Lewiston
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lewiston is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
- McHenry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- McHenry is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
- Brockroad
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Brockroad is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockroad
- Todds Tavern
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Todds Tavern is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todds Tavern
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Somerset, see our County-by-County Page for Somerset.
Cemeteries Near Somerset ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Somerset.
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 Somerset - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Somerset covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- James Madison Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Knights Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Maplewood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Thomas Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Woodbury Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Graham Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Westview Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westview Cemetery
- The Westview Cemetery has also been known as:
- West View Cemetery
- Kemper Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Lebanon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Good Hope Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mt. Nebo Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Eheart Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (258 more) ...
- Johns Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Goss Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Horeb Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Somerset had a population of 9 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Somerset, with the one closest to Somerset listed first.
- Liberty Mills
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Liberty Mills is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Mills
- Barboursville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Madison Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Madison Run is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Run
- Gordonsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Eheart
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Eheart is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eheart
- Rochelle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Orange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Madison Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Madison Mills is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison Mills
- Dawsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dawsonville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawsonville
- Burnley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Burnley is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnley
- Meltons
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Meltons is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meltons
- Lindsay
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lindsay is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindsay
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Twymans Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Twymans Mill is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twymans Mill
- Ruckersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Gilbert
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gilbert is located in Albemarle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Somerset. See our List of 1890's Communities around Somerset.
Newspapers Published in Somerset ...
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 Somerset.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Somerset, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Somerset.
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 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 Somerset:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Orange County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Albemarle County
- Charlottesville City
- Culpeper County
- Fluvanna County
- Goochland County
- Greene County
- Louisa County
- Madison County
- Page County
- Rappahannock County
- Rockingham County
- Spotsylvania 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> | 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> | 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- Somerset) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Somerset, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |