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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 Surprise Hill (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 Surprise Hill. 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.

Surprise Hill is located in Northumberland 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 Northumberland County: Lancaster, Richmond & Westmoreland.

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

  • Northumberland County     (The home county of Surprise Hill)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Sunnybank
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Reedville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Blackwells
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Ophelia
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Fleeton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Remo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Heathsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Coan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Lynhams
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
    • Bundick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Lara
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Rainswood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
  • Accomack County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Tangier
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Crockett Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Crockett Town is located in Accomack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett Town
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
    • Dunnsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Tappahannock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Gloucester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Freeport
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
    • Glenns
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
    • North
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • King and Queen County
    • Contra
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Contra is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Lankford Corner
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
    • Kilmarnock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Richtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Alfonso
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
    • Griffins Landing
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Merry Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Ocran
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Irvington
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Millenbeck
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Monaskon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
    • Ottoman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Weems
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Diggs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Mathews
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Nesting
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Locust Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Urbanna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Amburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Wilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Harmony Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Remlik
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grafton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Hartfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Saluda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Downings
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Farnham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Simonson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Emmerton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Rich Neck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Simons Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Warsaw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Tallent Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Tallent Town is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallent Town
    • Naylors
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Naylors is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naylors
  • Westmoreland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Kinsale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Griffiths Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffiths Corner is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffiths Corner
    • Tucker Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Tucker Hill is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker Hill
    • Machodoc
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Machodoc is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machodoc
    • Nomini Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Nomini Grove is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nomini Grove
    • Hinnom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hinnom is located in Westmoreland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinnom
  • Dorchester County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Crocheron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Crocheron is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crocheron
    • Bishops Head
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bishops Head is located in Dorchester County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishops Head
  • Saint Mary's County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Scotland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Ridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Dameron
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Dameron is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dameron
    • Gum Landing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Gum Landing is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Landing
    • Piney Point
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Saint Marys City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Drayden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Tall Timbers
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Valley Lee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Valley Lee is located in Saint Mary's County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Lee
    • Great Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Callaway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lexington Park
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Surprise Hill, with the one closest to Surprise Hill listed first.
    • Rhodes Point
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
    • Ewell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Smith Island
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Smith Island is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island
    • Tylerton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Crisfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Daugherty Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Daugherty Town is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daugherty Town
    • Lawsonia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Lawsonia is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonia
    • Wenona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wenona is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wenona
    • Deal Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Frenchtown - Rumbly
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Frenchtown - Rumbly is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchtown - Rumbly
    • Chance
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairmount
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairmount is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmount

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

Cemeteries Near Surprise Hill ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Surprise Hill.

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 Surprise Hill - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hope Union Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Roseland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Fairfields Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • TestShiva Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Morattico Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Willie Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • St. Francis De Sales Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Beulah Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Beane Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (95 more) ...
    • Hopewell Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Sharon Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Old St. Johns Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

While we didn't find Surprise Hill in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Surprise Hill.

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

  • Lilian
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Lilian is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilian
  • Blackwells
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
  • Mila
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Mila is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mila
  • Fairport
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fairport is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
  • Reedville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Sunnybank
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
  • Ophelia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Wicomico Church
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Browns Store
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Browns Store is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browns Store
  • Avalon
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Avalon is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
  • Heathsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Lynhams
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Kilmarnock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Lewisetta
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Lewisetta is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisetta
    • Bundick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick

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

Newspapers Published in Surprise Hill ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Surprise Hill.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Surprise Hill, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Surprise Hill.

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 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 Surprise Hill:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Surprise Hill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Surprise Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.