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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 Hazard (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 Hazard. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Hazard is located in Perry County and is the County Seat.

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 Perry County: Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Knott, Leslie, Letcher & Owsley.

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

  • Perry County     (The home county of Hazard)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Combs
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Combs is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combs
    • Bulan
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bonnyman
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bonnyman is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnyman
    • Tribbey
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Butterfly
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jeff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Avawam
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Acup
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hardburly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Viper
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Viper is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viper
    • Busy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Busy is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busy
    • Dwarf
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Happy
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Happy is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Happy
  • Bell County
  • Breathitt County
  • Clay County
  • Floyd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Dema
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Dema is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dema
    • Garrett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Garrett is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrett
    • Hueysville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lackey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lackey is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey
    • Wayland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wayland is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 373 people
    • Bypro
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Wheelwright
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Wheelwright is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelwright
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
    • Hi Hat
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Wheelwright Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Melvin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Melvin is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvin
    • Eastern
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastern is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastern
    • McDowell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Minnie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Harlan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Big Laurel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Big Laurel is located in Harlan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Laurel
    • Totz
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Chad
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Cumberland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Putney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Benham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Bledsoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Bledsoe is located in Harlan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bledsoe
    • Closplint
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Closplint is located in Harlan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Closplint
    • Louellen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bailey Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Rosspoint
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Short Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Short Town is located in Harlan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Town
    • Lynch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Knott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Sassafras
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Fisty
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Emmalena
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Carrie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Tina
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Littcarr
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Littcarr is located in Knott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littcarr
    • Hindman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Redfox
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Leburn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Vest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Garner
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Garner is located in Knott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
    • Pine Top
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Pippa Passes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Pippa Passes is located in Knott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pippa Passes
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 606 people
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Athol
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lone
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Tallega
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Leslie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Wooton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Smilax
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Smilax is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smilax
    • Confluence
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Confluence is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confluence
    • Cutshin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Hyden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Yeaddiss
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Yeaddiss is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeaddiss
    • Wendover
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Thousandsticks
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Thousandsticks is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thousandsticks
    • Stinnett
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Stinnett is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinnett
    • Hoskinston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hoskinston is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoskinston
    • Sizerock
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Asher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Chappell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Letcher County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Blackey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hallie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Letcher
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jeremiah
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Isom
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Isom is located in Letcher County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isom
    • Roxana
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Roxana is located in Letcher County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxana
    • Hot Spot
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Colson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Flint
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Uz
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Gordon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Gordon is located in Letcher County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Kings Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Linefork
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Magoffin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Gunlock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Gunlock is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunlock
    • Gapville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Gapville is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gapville
    • Royalton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Royalton is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
    • Sublett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Owsley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hazard, with the one closest to Hazard listed first.
    • Mistletoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Mistletoe is located in Owsley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mistletoe
    • Sebastian
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Ricetown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Ricetown is located in Owsley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ricetown
    • Lerose
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Lerose is located in Owsley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerose
    • Southfork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Booneville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Wise County (VA)

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

Cemeteries Near Hazard ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hazard.

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

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Hazard had a population of 76 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Hazard had a population of 4,785 people.

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

  • Viper
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Viper is located in Perry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viper
  • Dwarf
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Sassafras
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Stacy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Confluence
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Confluence is located in Leslie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confluence
  • Hyden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Cutshin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Ned
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ned is located in Breathitt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ned
  • Chavies
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Hindman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Gays Creek
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Gays Creek is located in Perry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Creek
  • Indian Bottom
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Indian Bottom is located in Letcher County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Bottom
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Vest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jeremiah
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Hoskinston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hoskinston is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoskinston

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Hazard ...

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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hazard.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Hazard. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Hazard and those printed in the larger area surrounding Hazard.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4> of Hazard.

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 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 Hazard:

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 Hazard, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hazard) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.