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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 Twila (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 Twila. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Twila is located in Harlan 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 Harlan County: Bell, Leslie, Letcher, Perry, Lee (VA) & Wise (VA).

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

  • Harlan County     (The home county of Twila)
  • Bell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Stoney Fork
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoney Fork is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Fork
    • Callaway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Miracle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Miracle is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miracle
    • Kettle Island
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Kettle Island is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kettle Island
    • Varilla
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Beverly
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Calvin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Calvin is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
    • Jenson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Rella
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Sims Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Arjay
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Dorton Branch
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Dorton Branch is located in Bell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorton Branch
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Ashers Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brightshade
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Goose Rock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Goose Rock is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goose Rock
    • Big Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Eriline
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Eriline is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eriline
    • Garrard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Garrard is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrard
  • Knox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Scalf
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Scalf is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalf
    • Walker
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Walker is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
    • Dewitt
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Dewitt is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewitt
    • Flat Lick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Trosper
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Trosper is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trosper
    • Warren
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Artemus
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Artemus is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artemus
    • Bimble
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Hinkle
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Hinkle is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinkle
    • Wheeler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Barbourville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Cannon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Cannon is located in Knox County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
  • Leslie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Helton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Helton is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
    • Warbranch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Warbranch is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warbranch
    • Mozelle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Chappell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Asher
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Roark
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Essie
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Essie is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essie
    • Hoskinston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Hoskinston is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoskinston
    • Stinnett
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Stinnett is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinnett
    • Yeaddiss
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Yeaddiss is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yeaddiss
    • Cutshin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Wendover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Letcher County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Gordon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Gordon is located in Letcher County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
    • Linefork
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Hallie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Perry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Delphia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Delphia is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delphia
    • Slemp
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Slemp is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slemp
    • Cornettsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Cornettsville is located in Perry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornettsville
  • Claiborne County (TN)
  • Grainger County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Thorn Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Bean Station
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Beans
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Beans is located in Grainger County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,084 people
  • Hancock County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Alanthus Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people
    • Sneedville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Xenophon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Xenophon is located in Hancock County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenophon
    • Duck Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Trent Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Trent Valley is located in Hancock County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent Valley
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,157 people
    • Yount Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Kyles Ford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Willis
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Willis is located in Hancock County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
      • Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
  • Hawkins County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila listed first.
    • Eidson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mooresburg Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mooresburg Springs is located in Hawkins County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresburg Springs
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 941 people
    • Galbraith Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lee County (VA)
  • Wise County (VA)

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

Cemeteries Near Twila ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Twila.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Twila, with the one closest to Twila 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.<4>

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

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

  • Creech
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Creech is located in Harlan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creech
  • Wallins Creek
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Wallins Creek is located in Harlan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallins Creek
    • Estimated population in 2016: 146 people
  • Harlan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Baxter
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Rose Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Boons Path
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Boons Path is located in Lee County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boons Path
  • Hagan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Hagan is located in Lee County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagan
  • Cubage
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cubage is located in Bell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cubage
  • Ewing
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Callaway
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Hubbard Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Evarts
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Helton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Helton is located in Leslie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
    • Wheeler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Alanthus Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people

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

Newspapers Published in Twila ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Twila.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Twila, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Twila.

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 Twila:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Twila) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Twila, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.