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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 Union Springs (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 Union Springs. 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.

Name Variations for Union Springs ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Union Springs: Union Spgs. (or less commonly used: Union Spngs. or Union Sprngs.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Union Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Union Springs.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Union Springs is located in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County: Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Page, Shenandoah, Hardy (WV) & Pendleton (WV).

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

  • Rockingham County     (The home county of Union Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Clover Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Clover Hill is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
    • Lilly
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Lilly is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
    • Ottobine
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Ottobine is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottobine
    • Briery Branch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Briery Branch is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briery Branch
    • Coakley Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Coakley Town is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coakley Town
    • Hinton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hinton is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
    • Spring Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Spring Creek is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
    • Rushville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rushville is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
    • New Erection
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • New Erection is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Erection
    • Bridgewater
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dayton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dayton is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,642 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <1>
    • Green Mount
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Green Mount is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mount
    • Mount Crawford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Albemarle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Boonesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Boonesville is located in Albemarle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonesville
    • Cedarmere
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedarmere is located in Albemarle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
    • Mountfair
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Mountfair is located in Albemarle County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountfair
  • Augusta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Mount Solon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Stokesville ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Stokesville is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesville
    • Parnassus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Parnassus is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnassus
    • Weyers Cave
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Churchville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Verona
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Grottoes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • West Augusta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • West Augusta is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Augusta
    • Sampson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Sampson is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
    • Brand
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Brand is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
    • Jolivue
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jolivue is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jolivue
    • Crimora
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Chapin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Chapin is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapin
  • Greene County
    • Cedarmere ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedarmere is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarmere
  • Harrisonburg City
    • Harrisonburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Highland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Palo Alto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Palo Alto is located in Highland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
    • McDowell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Possum Trot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Possum Trot is located in Highland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Trot
    • Monterey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Clover Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Clover Creek is located in Highland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Creek
  • Page County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Shenandoah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Verbena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Verbena is located in Page County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
    • Leaksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Leaksville is located in Page County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaksville
    • Stanley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Shenandoah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • New Market
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Orkney Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Basye - Bryce Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Clifton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Clifton is located in Shenandoah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clifton
    • Rinkerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rinkerton is located in Shenandoah County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rinkerton
    • Mount Jackson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Staunton City
    • Staunton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
  • Waynesboro City
    • Waynesboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Grant County (WV)
    • Seemly ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Seemly is located in Grant County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seemly
  • Hardy County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Peru
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Peru is located in Hardy County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
    • Mathias
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Pendleton County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union Springs, with the one closest to Union Springs listed first.
    • Brandywine
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Propstburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
    • Sugar Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
    • Moyers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Moyers is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
    • Fort Seybert
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fort Seybert is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Seybert
    • Franklin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Franklin is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <1>
    • Ruddle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Ruddle is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruddle
    • Zigler
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Zigler is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zigler
    • Harper
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Harper is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
    • Kline
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Kline is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
    • Brushy Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
    • Circleville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dry Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Dry Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Run

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

Cemeteries Near Union Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union Springs.

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 Union Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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>

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

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

  • Clover Hill
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Clover Hill is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
  • Rawley Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Rawley Springs is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawley Springs
  • Ottobine
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Ottobine is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottobine
  • Lilly
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Lilly is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
  • Spring Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Spring Creek is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
  • Rushville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Rushville is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
  • Hinton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Hinton is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
  • Sangerville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Sangerville is located in Augusta County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangerville
  • Mount Clinton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Clinton is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clinton
  • Dale Enterprise
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Dale Enterprise is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale Enterprise
  • Bridgewater
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Dayton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Dayton is located in Rockingham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,642 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <1>
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Mount Solon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Mount Crawford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Mount
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Green Mount is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mount

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

Newspapers Published in Union Springs ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Union Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union Springs, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union Springs.

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 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 Union Springs:

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 Union Springs, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Union Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.