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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 Blues Beach (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 Blues Beach. 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 Blues Beach ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Blues Beach: Blues Bch.
  • While the name of this community is Blues Beach, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Blues Beach may originally have been Blue's Beach.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Blues Beach might be written as Blue Beach.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

Blues Beach is located in Hampshire County.

To see how the shape of West 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 Hampshire County: Allegany (MD), Frederick (VA), Hardy, Mineral & Morgan.

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

  • Hampshire County     (The home county of Blues Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Ritters
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Ritters is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
    • Springfield
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Wapocomo
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
    • Vance
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Vance is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Three Churches
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Three Churches is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Churches
    • Points
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Points is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
    • Donaldson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Donaldson is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
    • Romney
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Romney is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,680 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Romney <2>
    • Higginsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Higginsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
    • Augusta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Slanesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Slanesville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slanesville
    • Junction
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Junction is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction
    • North River Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • North River Mills is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North River Mills
  • Grant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Medley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Greenland is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
    • Lahmansville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lahmansville is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lahmansville
  • Hardy County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Inkerman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Inkerman is located in Hardy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inkerman
    • Wardensville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Baker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Baker is located in Hardy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
    • Fort Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Fort Run is located in Hardy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Run
    • Moorefield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Mineral County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Fort Ashby
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Headsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Headsville is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
    • Short Gap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Short Gap is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Gap
    • Burlington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wiley Ford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Carpendale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Carpendale is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
    • Keyser
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Ridgeley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • New Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Piedmont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Windom ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Windom is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
    • Shaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Shaw is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
    • Elk Garden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Magnolia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Magnolia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Hansrote
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hansrote is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
    • Doe Gully
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Doe Gully is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
    • Orleans Cross Roads
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
    • Oakland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Oakland is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Woodmont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodmont is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
    • Stotlers Crossroads
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads
    • Berryville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Berryville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Bath
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bath is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
    • Berkeley Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Allegany County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Spring Gap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Spring Gap is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Gap
    • Oldtown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Frost ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Frost is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
    • Rawlings
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Brady
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Brady is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
    • Pinto
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pinto is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinto
    • Cedar Cliff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Cedar Cliff is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Cliff
    • Cresaptown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumberland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Shanty Town ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Shanty Town is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • Keifers
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Keifers is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keifers
    • La Vale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Gilmore
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilmore is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
  • Garrett County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Bloomington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Bloomington is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
    • Avilton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Avilton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
    • Kitzmiller
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Swanton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bittinger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Schell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Schell is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
    • Grantsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Altamont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
  • Washington County (MD)
    • Pearre
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Pearre is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
  • Bedford County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Cooks Mills
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Cooks Mills is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Mills
    • Stringtown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Stringtown is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Beans Cove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Beans Cove is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Cove
    • Hyndman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Hyndman is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyndman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hyndman <2>
  • Somerset County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Wellersburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wellersburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • Wittenberg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Wittenberg is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
    • Fairhope
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Callimont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Callimont is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callimont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Salisbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Boynton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Boynton is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
    • Glade City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Glade City is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade City
    • West Salisbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • West Salisbury is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
  • Frederick County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blues Beach, with the one closest to Blues Beach listed first.
    • Good
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Good is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good
    • Lehew
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lehew is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehew
    • Rock Enon Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock Enon Springs is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Enon Springs
    • Collinsville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Collinsville is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
    • Cross Junction
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Nordic Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Nordic Village is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nordic Village
    • Shockeysville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Shockeysville is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockeysville
    • Siler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Siler is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siler
    • Hayfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hayfield is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayfield
    • Rosenberger
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosenberger is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenberger
    • Mountain Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mountain Falls is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Falls
    • Chambersville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Chambersville is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chambersville
    • Fawcett Gap
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fawcett Gap is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fawcett Gap

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

Cemeteries Near Blues Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blues Beach.

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 Blues Beach - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Frankfort Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Carr Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Reece Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Eusiva Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Indian Mound Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ebenezer Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ebenezer Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the east of Romney.
    • The Ebenezer Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Ebenezer UMC Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1098821 <4>
  • Inkeep Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rice Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Van Meter Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Mineral Baptist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Headsville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (248 more) ...
    • Greenwall Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Methodist Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Reeves Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

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 Blues Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blues Beach.

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

  • Grace
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Grace is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
  • Wapocomo
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
  • Springfield
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Three Churches
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Three Churches is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Churches
  • Donaldson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Donaldson is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
  • Romney
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Romney is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,680 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Romney <2>
  • Barnes Mill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Barnes Mill is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnes Mill
  • Headsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Headsville is located in Mineral County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
  • Higginsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Higginsville is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
  • Reeses Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Reeses Mill is located in Mineral County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reeses Mill
  • Augusta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Spring Gap ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Spring Gap is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Gap
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Levels
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Levels is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levels
    • Green Spring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Green Spring is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Spring
    • Oldtown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Blues Beach ...

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 69 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blues Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blues Beach, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blues Beach.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Blues Beach:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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- Blues Beach) 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 Blues Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.