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 Bear Fork (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 Bear Fork. 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 Bear Fork ...
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 Bear Fork: Bear Frk.
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.
Bear Fork is located in Pike County.
To see how the shape of Kentucky's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Pike County: Floyd, Knott, Letcher, Martin, Buchanan (VA), Dickenson (VA), Wise (VA) & Mingo (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Bear Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bear Fork:
- Pike County (The home county of Bear Fork)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Robinson Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Robinson Creek is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Creek
- Virgie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Virgie is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virgie
- Yeager
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Yeager is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeager
- Jonancy
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jonancy is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonancy
- Fords Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Fords Branch is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fords Branch
- Mayo Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mayo Village is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo Village
- Shelbiana
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shelbiana is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelbiana
- Myra
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Myra is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Garden Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Garden Village is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Village
- Pikeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dorton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Owsley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Owsley is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owsley
- Lookout
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lookout is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Teaberry
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Teaberry is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaberry
- Beaver
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Beaver is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Galveston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Galveston is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galveston
- Melvin
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Melvin is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
- Osborn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Osborn is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
- Weeksbury
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Weeksbury is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weeksbury
- Wheelwright Junction
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wheelwright
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wheelwright is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelwright
- Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
- Bypro
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hi Hat
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Grethel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Grethel is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grethel
- McDowell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Moon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Blue Moon is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Moon
- Johnson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Nero
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Nero is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nero
- East Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Butcher Hollow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Butcher Hollow is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butcher Hollow
- Van Lear
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hagerhill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hagerhill is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagerhill
- Meally
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Meally is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meally
- West Van Lear
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- West Van Lear is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Van Lear
- Williamsport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Williamsport is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsport
- Collista
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Collista is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collista
- Denver
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Denver is located in Johnson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
- Knott County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Raven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Raven is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Kite
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Kite is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kite
- Mousie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Mousie is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mousie
- Pippa Passes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Pippa Passes is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pippa Passes
- Population from the 2020 Census: 606 people
- Pine Top
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Top is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Top
- Garner
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Garner is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
- Leburn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Littcarr
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Littcarr is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littcarr
- Hindman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Redfox
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Redfox is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redfox
- Vest
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Tina
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Tina is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tina
- Carrie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Carrie is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
- Letcher County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Burdine
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Burdine is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdine
- McRoberts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- McRoberts is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRoberts
- Hemphill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hemphill is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemphill
- Hemphill has also been known as:
- Jackhorn
- Cromona
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Cromona is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromona
- Jenkins
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Deane
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Deane is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deane
- Fleming - Neon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fleming - Neon is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fleming - Neon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 610 people
- Neon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tolliver Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tolliver Town is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolliver Town
- Seco
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Seco is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seco
- Whitaker
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Whitaker is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitaker
- Millstone
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Millstone is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millstone
- Thornton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Thornton is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Magoffin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Gunlock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gunlock is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunlock
- Gapville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gapville is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gapville
- Gypsy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gypsy is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gypsy
- Marshallville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Marshallville is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshallville
- Ivyton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ivyton is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivyton
- Royalton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Royalton is located in Magoffin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
- Martin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Debord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pilgrim
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pilgrim is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Vicco
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Vicco is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vicco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
- Scuddy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dwarf
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Dwarf is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwarf
- Hardburly
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hardburly is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardburly
- Happy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Happy is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy
- Acup
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Acup is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acup
- Ary
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tribbey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tribbey is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tribbey
- Buchanan County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Big Rock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Big Rock is located in Buchanan County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
- Grundy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Royal City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
- Leemaster
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Leemaster is located in Buchanan County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
- Kelsa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
- Vansant
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Dickenson County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Clintwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Tarpon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Tarpon is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
- Darwin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Darwin is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darwin
- Clinchco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Haysi
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Haysi is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysi
- Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haysi <1>
- Omaha
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Omaha is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omaha
- Nora
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Nora is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
- Aily
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Aily is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aily
- Herald
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Herald is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herald
- Bucu
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bucu is located in Dickenson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
- Wise County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Almira
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Almira is located in Wise County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almira
- Haddonfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Haddonfield is located in Wise County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haddonfield
- Pound
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Wise
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Esserville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Esserville is located in Wise County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Esserville
- Hamilton town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hamilton town is located in Wise County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamilton town
- Mingo County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Williamson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chattaroy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chattaroy is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattaroy
- Sprigg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sprigg is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprigg
- Blackberry City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Blackberry City is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry City
- Matewan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Thacker
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Thacker is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thacker
- Red Jacket
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Red Jacket is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Jacket
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bear Fork, see our County-by-County Page for Bear Fork.
Cemeteries Near Bear Fork ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bear Fork.
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 Bear Fork - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bear Fork covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Newsome Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Little Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Newsome Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Newsom Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Martin Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Newsome Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thomas Hamilton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Alfred Branham Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfred Branham Cemetery
- The Alfred Branham Cemetery has also been known as:
- Kinney Cemetery
- Penny Cemetery
- Potter Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Compton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- John Mimms Sword Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hollybush Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (638 more) ...
- Slone Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Little Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Osborne Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
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 Bear Fork in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bear Fork.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bear Fork, with the one closest to Bear Fork listed first.
- Robinson Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Robinson Creek is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Creek
- Beaver
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Beaver is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Dorton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Pikeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lookout
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lookout is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lookout
- Venters
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Venters is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Venters
- Coal Run Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Coal Run Village is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run Village
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,494 people
- McDowell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Beefhide
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Beefhide is located in Letcher County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beefhide
- Minnie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Minnie is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnie
- Hall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hall is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hall
- Fishtrap
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Fishtrap is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishtrap
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Raven
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Raven is located in Knott County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Ashcamp
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ashcamp is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashcamp
- Zebulon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Zebulon is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebulon
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bear Fork. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bear Fork.
Newspapers Published in Bear Fork ...
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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bear Fork.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bear Fork, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bear Fork.
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 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 Bear Fork:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Pike County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Floyd County
- Johnson County
- Knott County
- Letcher County
- Magoffin County
- Martin County
- Perry County
- Buchanan County
- Dickenson County
- Wise County
- Mingo County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kentucky
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 Bear Fork, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bear Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |