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 The Willows (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 The Willows. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
The Willows is located in Stafford 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 Stafford County: Charles (MD), Caroline, Culpeper, Fauquier, King George, Prince William & Spotsylvania.
Below are the counties that are near The Willows. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to The Willows:
- Stafford County (The home county of The Willows)
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Berea
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Berea is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Stafford Lakes Village
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hartwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hartwood Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hartwood Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartwood Village
- Northridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Northridge is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northridge
- Storck
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Storck is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Storck
- Falmouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Stafford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Chatham Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Chatham Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Village
- Falmouth Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Falmouth Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth Village
- Grafton Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grafton Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grafton Village
- North Potomac
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- North Potomac is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Potomac
- Canterbury Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Canterbury Village is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canterbury Village
- Caroline County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Olney Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Olney Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olney Corner
- Moss Neck
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Moss Neck is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Neck
- Stuart Corner
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Stuart Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart Corner
- New London
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New London is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New London
- Samuels Corner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Samuels Corner is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samuels Corner
- Port Royal
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bowling Green
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- DeJarnette
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- DeJarnette is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for DeJarnette
- Penola
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Penola is located in Caroline County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penola
- Culpeper County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Kellys Ford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kellys Ford is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kellys Ford
- Lignum
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Lignum is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lignum
- Elkwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Culpeper
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Jeffersonton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jeffersonton is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffersonton
- Rixeyville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rixeyville is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rixeyville
- Norman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Norman is located in Culpeper County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norman
- Fairfax County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Occoquan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lorton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clifton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pohick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pohick is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pohick
- Sideburn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Sideburn is located in Fairfax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sideburn
- Newington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fauquier County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Brent Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Brent Town is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brent Town
- Blackwell Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Blackwell Town is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwell Town
- Midland
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Remington
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Catlett
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Bealeton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Opal
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Opal is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opal
- Frytown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Frytown is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frytown
- Turnbull
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Turnbull is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnbull
- Warrenton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waterloo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Waterloo is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterloo
- Fredericksburg City
- Fredericksburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- King George County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Fairview Beach
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fairview Beach is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Beach
- Ambar
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Ambar is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ambar
- Somerset Beach
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Somerset Beach is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Beach
- Arnolds Corner
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Arnolds Corner is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnolds Corner
- King George
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hampstead
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Hampstead is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampstead
- Weedonville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Weedonville is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weedonville
- Edgehill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Edgehill is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgehill
- Port Conway
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Port Conway is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Conway
- Hooes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Hooes is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooes
- Shiloh
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Shiloh is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Alden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alden is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alden
- Dahlgren
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Louisa County
- Harris ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Harris is located in Louisa County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Manassas City
- Manassas
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Manassas Park City
- Manassas Park
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Wilderness
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Wilderness is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderness
- Indian Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Indian Town is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Town
- Locust Grove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Burr Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Burr Hill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burr Hill
- True Blue
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- True Blue is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True Blue
- Rhoadesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Vulcan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Vulcan is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vulcan
- Danton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Danton is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danton
- Grassland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Grassland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassland
- Prince William County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Kopp
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Kopp is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kopp
- Joplin
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Joplin is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joplin
- Triangle
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Combat Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Combat Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combat Village
- Chamberlain Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chamberlain Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain Village
- Quantico
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dumfries
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Aden
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Aden is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aden
- Locust Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Locust Hill is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Georgetown Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Georgetown Village is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgetown Village
- Montclair
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Minnieville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Minnieville is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnieville
- Canova
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Canova is located in Prince William County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canova
- Spotsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Waverly Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Waverly Village is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waverly Village
- Dunavant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Dunavant is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunavant
- Leavells
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Leavells is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavells
- Brockroad
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brockroad is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockroad
- Screamerville ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Screamerville is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamerville
- Todds Tavern
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Todds Tavern is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todds Tavern
- Massaponax
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Massaponax is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massaponax
- Spotsylvania Courthouse
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Spotsylvania
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Parker
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Parker is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
- Logan
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Logan is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
- McHenry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- McHenry is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McHenry
- Post Oak
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Post Oak is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Post Oak
- Westmoreland County
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Maple Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Maple Grove is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Grove
- Monroe Hall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Monroe Hall is located in Westmoreland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monroe Hall
- Charles County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Nanjemoy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Doncaster
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Doncaster is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doncaster
- Ironsides
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Ironsides is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironsides
- Mattawoman Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mattawoman Village is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawoman Village
- Marbury
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Marbury is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marbury
- Indian Head
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Riverview Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Riverview Village is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview Village
- Potomac Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Potomac Heights is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potomac Heights
- McConchie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- McConchie is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McConchie
- Port Tobacco Riviera
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Port Tobacco Riviera is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tobacco Riviera
- Mount Air
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mount Air is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Air
- Port Tobacco Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Port Tobacco Village is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Port Tobacco Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 15 people
- Pomonkey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pomonkey is located in Charles County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomonkey
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to The Willows, see our County-by-County Page for The Willows.
Cemeteries Near The Willows ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of The Willows.
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 The Willows - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for The Willows covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Glen Haven Memory Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Antioch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Berea Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hulls Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Hartwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ramoth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Briggs - McDonald Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Clair Brooks Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Union Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Kurz Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (212 more) ...
- Shiloh Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Confederate Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fredericksburg Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<3>
While we didn't find The Willows in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of The Willows.
These communities are listed based on their distance from The Willows, with the one closest to The Willows listed first.
- Berea
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Berea is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Hartwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Falmouth
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Leeland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Leeland is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leeland
- Roseville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Roseville is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Tacketts Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Tacketts Mill is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacketts Mill
- Garrisonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Onville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Onville is located in Stafford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onville
- Leavells
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Leavells is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavells
- Pine View
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pine View is located in Fauquier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine View
- Brockroad
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brockroad is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brockroad
- Screamerville ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Screamerville is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screamerville
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Richardsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Wilderness
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Wilderness is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilderness
- Passapatanzy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Passapatanzy is located in King George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Passapatanzy
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around The Willows. See our List of 1890's Communities around The Willows.
Newspapers Published in The Willows ...
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 3 newspapers that have been published in the area around The Willows.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of The Willows, there are papers which were published within 5 miles [8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for The Willows.
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 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 The Willows:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Stafford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Caroline County
- Culpeper County
- Fairfax County
- Fauquier County
- Fredericksburg City
- King George County
- Louisa County
- Manassas City
- Manassas Park City
- Orange County
- Prince William County
- Spotsylvania County
- Westmoreland County
- Charles County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 The Willows, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- The Willows) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |