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 Ford (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 Ford. 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 Valley Ford ...
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 Valley Ford: Valley Frd.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Valley Ford. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Valley Ford.
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 northwest 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 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 Ford is located in Meigs County.
To see how the shape of Ohio's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Meigs County: Athens, Gallia, Vinton, Jackson (WV), Mason (WV) & Wood (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Valley Ford. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Valley Ford:
- Meigs County (The home county of Valley Ford)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Point Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Point Rock is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Rock
- Dexter
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dexter is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Langsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Langsville is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langsville
- Lima
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lima is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
- Rutland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Thomas Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Thomas Village is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomas Village
- Pomeroy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Middleport
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Welshtown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Welshtown is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welshtown
- Syracuse
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Keno
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Keno is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keno
- Tuppers Plains
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Athens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Albany
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mineral
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Mineral is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
- Shade
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- King's Station ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- King's Station is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King's Station
- King's Station has also been known as:
- King Hollow
- King's Hollow
- King's Switch
- Pratts Fork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pratts Fork is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratts Fork
- Athens
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Carsey Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Carsey Town is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsey Town
- Carbondale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Carbondale is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbondale
- Armitage
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Armitage is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armitage
- The Plains
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chauncey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Chauncey is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chauncey
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,038 people
- Liars Corner ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Liars Corner is located in Athens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liars Corner
- Gallia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Alice
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Alice is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Ewington
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ewington is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ewington
- Kyger
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Kyger is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyger
- Vinton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Carlton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Carlton is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
- Cheshire
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cheshire is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Edna ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Edna is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edna
- Kerr
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Kerr is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr
- Rio Grande
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Centerville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Mills Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Mills Village is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Village
- Rodney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Rodney is located in Gallia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodney
- Hocking County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Mount Pleasant
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Candy Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Candy Town is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Candy Town
- Union Furnace
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Union Furnace is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Furnace
- Orbiston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Orbiston is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orbiston
- Carbon Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Carbon Hill is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Hill
- Jobs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Jobs is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jobs
- Sand Run Junction
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Sand Run Junction is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Run Junction
- Murray City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- New Pittsburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- New Pittsburg is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Pittsburg
- New Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- New Town is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Sand Run
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sand Run is located in Hocking County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Run
- South Bloomingville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Wellston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Pattonsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pattonsville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pattonsville
- Altoona
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Altoona is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
- Glen Roy
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Glen Roy is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Roy
- Coalton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Coalton is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 473 people
- Petrea
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Petrea is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petrea
- Rempel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rempel is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rempel
- Jackson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Ray
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Ray is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
- Former names for Ray:
- Rays
- Raysville
- Banner ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Banner is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner
- Oak Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Limerick
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Limerick is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limerick
- Morgan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Wrightstown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wrightstown is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightstown
- Joy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Joy is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
- Elliott Crossroads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elliott Crossroads is located in Morgan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott Crossroads
- Chesterhill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Perry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- New Straitsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hemlock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Hemlock is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
- Ludington
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Ludington is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludington
- Drakes
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Drakes is located in Perry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drakes
- Shawnee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pike County
- Mount Sinai
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Sinai is located in Pike County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Sinai
- Ross County
- Richmond Dale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Richmond Dale is located in Ross County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Dale
- Vinton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Vales Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Vales Mills is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vales Mills
- Arbaugh
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Arbaugh is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbaugh
- Wilkesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wilkesville is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
- Oreton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Oreton is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oreton
- Ural ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ural is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ural
- Moonville ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Moonville is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moonville
- Hope ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hope is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Zaleski
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dundas
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Dundas is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundas
- McArthur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hamden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Richland
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Richland is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Fillmore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Fillmore is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Decaturville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Decaturville is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decaturville
- Redbush
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Redbush is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbush
- Jackson County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Neptune
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Neptune is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
- Willow Grove ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Willow Grove is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
- Skull Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Skull Run is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skull Run
- Millwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Millwood is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
- Sherman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sherman is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Mozelle ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Mozelle is located in Jackson County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mozelle
- Ravenswood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Clifton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Mason
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Columbia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Columbia is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Columbia
- Hartford City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hartford City is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
- York
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- York is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- New Haven
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sassafras
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sassafras is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassafras
- Meadowbrook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Meadowbrook is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
- Point Pleasant
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Henderson
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Flatrock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Flatrock is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatrock
- Letart
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Letart is located in Mason County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letart
- Wood County (WV)
- Wesley ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wesley is located in Wood County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Valley Ford, see our County-by-County Page for Valley Ford.
Cemeteries Near Valley Ford ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Valley Ford.
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 Ford - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Valley Ford covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- School Lot Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Temple Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gregory Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ogden Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Rawlings Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gotschall Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotschall Cemetery
- The Gotschall Cemetery has also been known as:
- Farley Cemetery
- Gotschell Cemetery
- Half Acre Cemetery
- Mt. Union Cemetery
- Castor Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Standish Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Martin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Bowens Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Gregory Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (793 more) ...
- Cumming Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Vonschriltz Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Pearsol Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
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 Valley Ford had a population of 20 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Valley Ford, with the one closest to Valley Ford listed first.
- Carpenter
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mount Blanco
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mount Blanco is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Blanco
- Dyesville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Dyesville is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyesville
- Point Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Point Rock is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Rock
- Vales Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Vales Mills is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vales Mills
- Bolins Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bolins Mills is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolins Mills
- Albany
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Dexter
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Dexter is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Arbaugh
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Arbaugh is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbaugh
- Harrisonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harrisonville is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrisonville
- Radcliff
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Radcliff is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radcliff
- Wilkesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wilkesville is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilkesville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 144 people
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Knox
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Knox is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knox
- Hawks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hawks is located in Vinton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks
- Salem Center
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Salem Center is located in Meigs County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem Center
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Valley Ford. See our List of 1890's Communities around Valley Ford.
Newspapers Published in Valley Ford ...
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 55 newspapers that have been published in the area around Valley Ford.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Valley Ford, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Valley Ford.
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 Valley Ford:
- Websites specific to Ohio
- Pages specific to Meigs County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Athens County
- Gallia County
- Hocking County
- Jackson County
- Morgan County
- Perry County
- Pike County
- Ross County
- Vinton County
- Washington County
- Jackson County
- Mason County
- Wood County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Ohio
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 Ford, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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- Valley Ford) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |