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The Commemorative Quarter for Virginia





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 Washington (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 Washington. 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.

Washington is located in Rappahannock County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rappahannock County: Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Page & Warren.

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

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

Cemeteries Near Washington ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Cannon Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Russell Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Russell Family Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Russell Family Cemetery came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<6>
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2358236 <5>
  • Williams Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Orlean Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orlean Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orlean Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rockland Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rockland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rockland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • The Ramey Graveyard
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Ramey Graveyard
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Ramey Graveyard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thumbn Run Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thumbn Run Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thumbn Run Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Leeds Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leeds Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leeds Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hardscrabble Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardscrabble Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardscrabble Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rileyville Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rileyville Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rileyville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beahm's Chapel Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Hillcrest Memory Gardens
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memory Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (189 more) ...
    • Prospect Hill Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prospect Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prospect Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Etlan Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Etlan Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Etlan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Canaan Baptist Church Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Washington had a population of 252 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Washington had a population of 122 people.

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

  • Rediviva
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rediviva. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rediviva
    • Rediviva is located in Rappahannock County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Rediviva
    • From Washington to Rediviva
  • Flint Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
    • Flint Hill is located in Rappahannock County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flint Hill <2>
  • Sperryville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Laurel Mills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Mills
    • Laurel Mills is located in Rappahannock County
  • Woodville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Castleton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castleton
    • Castleton is located in Rappahannock County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Castleton <2>
  • Browntown
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browntown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browntown
    • Browntown is located in Warren County
  • Hawlin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawlin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawlin
    • Hawlin is located in Rappahannock County
  • Viewtown
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viewtown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewtown
    • Viewtown is located in Rappahannock County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Viewtown <2>
  • Homeland
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Homeland. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homeland
    • Homeland is located in Culpeper County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Homeland
    • From Washington to Homeland
  • Amissville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Eggbornsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Orlean
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Nethers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nethers have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nethers
      • Nethers is located in Madison County
    • Hume
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hume have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hume
      • Hume is located in Fauquier County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hume <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Washington ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Washington.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Washington. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Washington and those printed in the larger area surrounding Washington.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4> of Washington.

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 Washington:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Washington. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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- Washington) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Washington. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7135, Longitude: -78.1598    
<5>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.
<6>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<7>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 Washington, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025