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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 Ova (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 Ova. 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.

Ova is located in Magoffin 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 Magoffin County: Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Morgan & Wolfe.

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

  • Magoffin County     (The home county of Ova)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Hendricks
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Netty
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Edna
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Edna is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
    • Elsie
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Elsie is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsie
    • Lakeville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Salyersville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Maggard
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Royalton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Royalton is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royalton
    • Sublett
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Cisco
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Cisco is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
    • Ivyton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Logville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Falcon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Falcon is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
  • Breathitt County
  • Elliott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Isonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Isonville is located in Elliott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isonville
    • Bell City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bell City is located in Elliott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell City
    • The Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sandy Hook
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Newfoundland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Floyd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • David
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • David is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for David
    • Goodloe
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Blue River
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Auxier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Prestonsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hueysville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Manton ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Watergap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Eastern
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Eastern is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastern
    • Langley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Langley is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley
    • Maytown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Warco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Allen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Allen is located in Floyd County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
      • Allen has also been known as:
      • Beaver Creek Junction
      • Beaver Creek
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Allen <1>
  • Johnson County
  • Knott County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Vest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Tina
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Mousie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Emmalena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Fisty
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Carrie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Hindman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Garner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Garner is located in Knott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garner
    • Leburn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Raven
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Raven is located in Knott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
  • Lawrence County
  • Lee County
  • Menifee County
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Cannel City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cannel City is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannel City
    • Malone
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Malone is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malone
    • Dingus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Grassy Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • West Liberty
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Mize
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mize is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mize
    • Jeptha
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Ophir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ophir is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Elkfork
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Elkfork is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkfork
    • Crockett
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Crockett is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crockett
    • Ezel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Maytown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Yocum
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Owsley County
    • Lerose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Lerose is located in Owsley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lerose
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Stacy
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Ary
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Dice
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Dice is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dice
    • Chavies
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Dwarf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Bulan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Hardburly
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Krypton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Tribbey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Bonnyman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Bonnyman is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnyman
    • Butterfly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Buckhorn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Gays Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Gays Creek is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Creek
  • Powell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Slade
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Barker Branch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Barker Branch is located in Powell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Branch
  • Rowan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova listed first.
    • Mount Hope
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Minor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Wolfe County

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

Cemeteries Near Ova ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ova.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ova, with the one closest to Ova 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>

While we didn't find Ova in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ova.

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

  • Hager
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hager is located in Magoffin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hager
  • Hendricks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Lykins
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lykins is located in Magoffin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lykins
  • Lickburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lickburg is located in Magoffin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickburg
  • Bloomington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Bloomington is located in Magoffin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
  • Caney
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Caney is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney
  • Rock Lick
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Lee City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lee City is located in Wolfe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee City
  • White Oak
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • White Oak is located in Morgan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
  • Rousseau
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Rousseau is located in Breathitt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rousseau
  • Swampton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Swampton is located in Magoffin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swampton
  • Taulbee
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Ivyton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Falcon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Falcon is located in Magoffin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
    • Sellars
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Ova ...

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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ova.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ova, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ova.

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 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 Ova:

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