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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 Topping (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 Topping. 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 hospitals and 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.

Topping is located in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County: Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, Lancaster & Mathews.

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

  • Middlesex County     (The home county of Topping)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Harmony Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Grafton
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Hartfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Locust Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Wilton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Amburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Urbanna
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saluda
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Remlik
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Nesting
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
  • Accomack County
    • Tangier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Essex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
    • Dunnsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Millers Tavern
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Millers Tavern is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millers Tavern
  • Gloucester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Freeport
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
    • North
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Glenns
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
    • Adner
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Adner is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
    • Ark
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ark is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • Money
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Money is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
    • Roanes
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Roanes is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
    • Belroi
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Belroi is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
    • White Marsh
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Clay Bank
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Clay Bank is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Bank
    • Ordinary
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • York View
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • York View is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York View
  • James City County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Norge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jamestown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Plain View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Mattaponi
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • King and Queen Court House
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Contra
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Contra is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contra
    • Cumnor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cumnor is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumnor
    • Crouch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Crouch is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouch
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • West Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Romancoke
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Romancoke is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
    • Lanesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Lanesville is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lanesville
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Weems
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
    • Millenbeck
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Irvington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • White Stone
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ottoman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Ocran
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • Westland
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Westland is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
    • Merry Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Kilmarnock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Griffins Landing
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Richtown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Monaskon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Monaskon is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monaskon
    • Lankford Corner
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Cardinal
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cardinal is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
    • Mathews
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Beaverlett
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
    • Diggs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ruff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruff is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
    • Onemo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Onemo is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
    • Susan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Susan is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
    • Peary
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Peary is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
    • New Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • New Kent County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Plum Point
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Plum Point is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
    • New Kent
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Newport News City
    • Lee Hall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Lee Hall is located in Newport News City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Hall
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Pleasant Cove Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
    • Jamesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jamesville is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Lynhams
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
    • Remo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Lara
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Fleeton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Blackwells
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Reedville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Heathsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Rainswood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Sunnybank
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Ophelia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Bundick
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
    • Coan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Lodge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Lodge is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodge
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Simonson
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Downings
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Simons Corner
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Farnham
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Emmerton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
    • Rich Neck
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Rich Neck is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Neck
    • Warsaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Surry County
    • Homewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Homewood is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
  • Williamsburg City
    • Williamsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Topping, with the one closest to Topping listed first.
    • Barlows Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Barlows Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
    • Oaktree
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Oaktree is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
    • Charles Corner
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Charles Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charles Corner
    • Lackey
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Lackey is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
    • Yorktown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Rochambeau Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Rochambeau Village is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochambeau Village
    • Dare
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Dare is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dare
    • Yorkville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Yorkville is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkville

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

Cemeteries Near Topping ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Topping.

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

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

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

  • Lower UMC Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Campbell Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Christ Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Irvington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Irvington Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Claybrook Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • White Stone Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • White Stone Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Christ Church Burying Ground
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Arthur Lee Family Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Middlesex Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (149 more) ...
    • Centenary Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Locust Grove Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Spring Hill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.<5>

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

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

  • Harmony Village
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
  • Cooper
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Cooper is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper
  • Locust Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Freeport
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
  • Bushy
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Bushy is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushy
  • Wilton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
  • Weems
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Weems is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
  • New Upton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • New Upton is located in Gloucester County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Upton
  • Irvington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Millenbeck
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
  • Stormont
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Stormont is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stormont
  • Grinels
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Grinels is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinels
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • White Stone
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Urbanna
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Saluda
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Topping ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Topping.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Topping, 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 Topping.

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 helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Topping:

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>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Grafton and Hartfield. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<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- Topping) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.
<5>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 Topping, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.