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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 Westland (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 Westland. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Westland is located in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County: Middlesex, Northumberland & Richmond.

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

  • Lancaster County     (The home county of Westland)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Ocran
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Ocran is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocran
    • White Stone
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Irvington
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Kilmarnock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Weems
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Weems is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
    • Millenbeck
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Millenbeck is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millenbeck
    • Lankford Corner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Lankford Corner is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lankford Corner
    • Merry Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Merry Point is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merry Point
    • Ottoman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Ottoman is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottoman
    • Richtown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Richtown is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richtown
    • Griffins Landing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffins Landing is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffins Landing
    • Alfonso
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Alfonso is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfonso
  • Accomack County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Tangier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Belle Haven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Crockett Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Crockett Town is located in Accomack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett Town
    • Painter
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Savage Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Savage Town is located in Accomack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage Town
    • Cats Bridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Cats Bridge is located in Accomack County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cats Bridge
    • Keller
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Melfa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Onancock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Essex County
    • Bowlers Wharf
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bowlers Wharf is located in Essex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlers Wharf
  • Gloucester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Freeport
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Freeport is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
    • North
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Glenns
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Glenns is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenns
    • Ark
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ark is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ark
    • Gloucester Courthouse
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Gloucester Courthouse is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gloucester Courthouse
    • Money
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Money is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Money
    • Adner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Adner is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adner
    • Roanes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Roanes is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roanes
    • Belroi
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Belroi is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belroi
    • White Marsh
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowes Haven
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Rowes Haven is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowes Haven
    • Achilles
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Achilles is located in Gloucester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Achilles
  • King and Queen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Plain View
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Plain View is located in King and Queen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plain View
    • Mattaponi
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • King William County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • West Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Romancoke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Romancoke is located in King William County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romancoke
  • Mathews County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Diggs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Mathews
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Beaverlett
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Beaverlett is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverlett
    • Cardinal
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Cardinal is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardinal
    • Ruff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Ruff is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruff
    • Onemo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Onemo is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onemo
    • Peary
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Peary is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peary
    • Susan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Susan is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Susan
    • New Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Middlesex County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
    • Stingray Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Stingray Point is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stingray Point
    • Amburg
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Amburg is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amburg
    • Wilton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Hartfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Grafton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Grafton is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton
    • Harmony Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Locust Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Urbanna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Saluda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Remlik
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Nesting
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Nesting is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesting
  • New Kent County
    • Plum Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Plum Point is located in New Kent County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Point
  • Northampton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Pleasant Cove Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Cove Village is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Cove Village
    • Jamesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jamesville is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamesville
    • Wardtown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Wardtown is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wardtown
    • Bridgetown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Bridgetown is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgetown
    • Nassawadox
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Birdsnest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Machipongo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Exmore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Exmore is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exmore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,362 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Exmore <1>
    • Cherrystone
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Cherrystone is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherrystone
    • Eastville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Marionville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Marionville is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marionville
    • Sheps End
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sheps End is located in Northampton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheps End
  • Northumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Lynhams
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
    • Fleeton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Fleeton is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleeton
    • Remo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Remo is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Remo
    • Reedville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Blackwells
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Blackwells is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwells
    • Sunnybank
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Sunnybank is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnybank
    • Ophelia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Lara
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lara is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lara
    • Heathsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Rainswood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rainswood is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainswood
    • Coan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Coan is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coan
    • Bundick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bundick is located in Northumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bundick
  • Richmond County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Simonson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Simonson is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonson
    • Downings
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Downings is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downings
    • Farnham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Farnham is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farnham
    • Simons Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Simons Corner is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simons Corner
    • Emmerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Emmerton is located in Richmond County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmerton
  • York County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Yorktown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Barlows Corner
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Barlows Corner is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlows Corner
    • Oaktree
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Oaktree is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaktree
    • Lackey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Lackey is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
  • Somerset County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westland, with the one closest to Westland listed first.
    • Rhodes Point
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodes Point is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodes Point
    • Smith Island
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Smith Island is located in Somerset County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Island
    • Tylerton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Ewell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Westland ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westland.

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

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

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

  • White Stone Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • White Stone Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Vernon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • St. Francis De Sales Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Old St. Johns Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Irvington Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Irvington Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mathews Chapel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Gwynns Island Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Christ Church Burying Ground
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (134 more) ...
    • Campbell Memorial Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ebenezer Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Smither Memorial Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Westland had a population of 14 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Grinels
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grinels is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grinels
  • Sandy Bottom ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Bottom is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Bottom
  • White Stone
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bushy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bushy is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushy
  • Wilton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wilton is located in Middlesex County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
  • Lynhams
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Lynhams is located in Northumberland County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynhams
  • Irvington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kilmarnock
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Weems
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Weems is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weems
  • Cobbs Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Blakes
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Blakes is located in Mathews County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blakes
  • Cricket Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Cricket Hill is located in Mathews County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket Hill
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Harmony Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Harmony Village is located in Middlesex County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony Village
    • Hudgins
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Hudgins is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudgins
    • Fitchetts
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Fitchetts is located in Mathews County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fitchetts

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

Newspapers Published in Westland ...

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 Westland.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westland, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westland.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Westland:

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 Westland, 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' (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- Westland) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.