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 Valley Oak (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 Valley Oak. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Valley Oak is located in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County: Casey, Laurel, Lincoln, McCreary, Rockcastle, Russell & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Valley Oak. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Valley Oak:
- Pulaski County (The home county of Valley Oak)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Shopville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Shopville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopville
- Coin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Coin is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coin
- Dabney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dabney is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Walnut Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Woodstock
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Grundy
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Grundy is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
- Piney Grove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Piney Grove is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney Grove
- Acorn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Acorn is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acorn
- Dykes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dykes is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykes
- Whetstone
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Whetstone is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whetstone
- Science Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Bee Lick
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bee Lick is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Lick
- Casey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Bethelridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bethelridge is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethelridge
- Ware
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ware is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ware
- Argyle
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Argyle is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
- Mintonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mintonville is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mintonville
- Middleburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Middleburg is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleburg
- Yosemite
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gilpin
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Gilpin is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilpin
- Cantown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cantown is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantown
- Evona
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Evona is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evona
- Labascus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Labascus is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Labascus
- Windsor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Teddy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Teddy is located in Casey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teddy
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Benge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Benge is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benge
- Larue
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Larue is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larue
- Garrard County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Cartersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cartersville is located in Garrard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cartersville
- Hyattsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hyattsville is located in Garrard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyattsville
- Lowell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lowell is located in Garrard County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Paint Lick
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lancaster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Peoples
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Peoples is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peoples
- Dabolt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dabolt is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabolt
- Annville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sandgap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sandgap is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandgap
- Kerby Knob
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kerby Knob is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerby Knob
- McKee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Waneta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Waneta is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waneta
- Knox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- North Corbin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- North Corbin is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Corbin
- Gray
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Laurel County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Bernstadt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bernstadt is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernstadt
- East Bernstadt
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Pittsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pittsburg is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- London
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Keavy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Keavy is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keavy
- Sublimity City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Sublimity City is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublimity City
- Greenmount
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Greenmount is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenmount
- Maplesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Maplesville is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplesville
- Dorthae
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dorthae is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorthae
- Hopewell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hopewell is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Lily
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Lily is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Dog Walk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Dog Walk is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dog Walk
- Broughtentown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Broughtentown is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broughtentown
- Waynesburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Waynesburg is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waynesburg
- Turkeytown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Turkeytown is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkeytown
- Kings Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kings Mountain is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Mountain
- Ottenheim
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Ottenheim is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottenheim
- Crab Orchard
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Sugar Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Sugar Grove is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Highland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Highland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Halls Gap
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Halls Gap is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Gap
- Maywood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Maywood is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
- South Fork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- South Fork is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Fork
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Slate Lick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Slate Lick is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate Lick
- Wallaceton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Wallaceton is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallaceton
- Berea
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Middletown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Middletown is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Bighill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bighill is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bighill
- McCreary County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Greenwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Greenwood is located in McCreary County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Wiborg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Wiborg is located in McCreary County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiborg
- Marshes Siding
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Marshes Siding is located in McCreary County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshes Siding
- Rockcastle County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Hansford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hansford is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansford
- Ottawa
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Ottawa is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottawa
- Mount Vernon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Brodhead
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Livingston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Renfro Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gum Sulphur
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Gum Sulphur is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Sulphur
- Orlando
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Orlando is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Mullins
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mullins is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullins
- Wildie
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Wildie is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildie
- Conway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Conway is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conway
- Climax
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Climax is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Russell County
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Salem is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Frazer
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Frazer is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazer
- Mill Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Springs is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Springs
- Rankin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rankin is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rankin
- Ritner
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ritner is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritner
- Whitley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Corbin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Woodbine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Woodbine is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Valley Oak, see our County-by-County Page for Valley Oak.
Cemeteries Near Valley Oak ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Oak.
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 Valley Oak - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Valley Oak covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Gilliand Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bobbitt Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gilmore Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Salem Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Heron Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Sears Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wyatt Atkins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Eaton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Renfro Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sowder Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Pine Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- James Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (489 more) ...
- Randall Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Run Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rainey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Valley Oak had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Valley Oak, with the one closest to Valley Oak listed first.
- Shopville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Shopville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shopville
- Plato
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plato is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
- Dabney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Dabney is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Grundy
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Grundy is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
- Woodstock
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Woodstock is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodstock
- Walnut Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Walnut Grove is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Bloss
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Bloss is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloss
- Level Green
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Level Green is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Green
- Hansford
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hansford is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansford
- Dykes
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Dykes is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dykes
- Pongo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pongo is located in Rockcastle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pongo
- Estesburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Estesburg is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estesburg
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Science Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Norwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Norwood is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Somerset
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Valley Oak. See our List of 1890's Communities around Valley Oak.
Newspapers Published in Valley Oak ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Oak.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Oak, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Oak.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Valley Oak:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Pulaski County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Casey County
- Clay County
- Garrard County
- Jackson County
- Knox County
- Laurel County
- Lincoln County
- Madison County
- McCreary County
- Rockcastle County
- Russell County
- Wayne County
- Whitley 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> | 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 Valley Oak, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Valley Oak) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |