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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 Balcony Falls (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 Balcony Falls. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Balcony Falls is located in Rockbridge County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Rockbridge County: Alleghany, Amherst, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt & Nelson.

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

  • Rockbridge County     (The home county of Balcony Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Glasgow
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Greenlee
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
    • Buffalo Forge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
    • Fancy Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fancy Hill is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Hill
    • Natural Bridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Red Mills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
    • Longwood ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Zollman ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Zollman is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zollman
    • Springfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • East Lexington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • East Lexington is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lexington
    • Riverside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Riverside is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Kerrs Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Kerrs Creek is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrs Creek
    • Fairfield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairfield is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Iron Gate
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Griffith
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Griffith is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
    • Clifton Forge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Selma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
    • Low Moor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Rich Patch
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
  • Amherst County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Pleasant View
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Allwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Allwood is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allwood
    • Pedlar Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
    • Forks of Buffalo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Forks of Buffalo is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks of Buffalo
    • Alto
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Alto is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
    • Sandidges
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Sandidges is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandidges
    • Winesap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Winesap is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
    • Coolwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Coolwell is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
    • Monitor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Monitor is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monitor
    • Sweet Briar Station
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Sweet Briar Station is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Briar Station
    • Amherst
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Lowesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Madison Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Augusta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Steeles Tavern
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Spottswood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Spottswood is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spottswood
    • Newport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Newport is located in Augusta County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Greenville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bath County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Millboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Yost
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Yost is located in Bath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yost
  • Bedford City
    • Bedford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Waugh
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Waugh is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
    • Coleman Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Coleman Falls is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Falls
    • Cifax
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Cifax is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
    • Peaksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Peaksville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
    • Abert
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Abert is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abert
    • Boonsboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Boonsboro is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsboro
    • Goode
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Bellevue
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Bellevue is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Lowry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Lowry is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
    • Forest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Montvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Villamont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Villamont is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
    • Coonsville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Coonsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
  • Botetourt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Rocky Point
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
    • Buchanan
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Salt Petre Cave
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Salt Petre Cave is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Petre Cave
      • Salt Petre Cave has also been known as:
      • Salt Peter Cave
      • Saltpetre
    • Springwood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
    • Salisbury
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Salisbury is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Lithia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
    • Gala
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Gala is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gala
    • Botetourt ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
    • Glen Wilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Glen Wilton is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Wilton
    • Haden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Haden is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
    • Fincastle
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Strom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Strom is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
    • Blue Ridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Buena Vista City
    • Buena Vista
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Powhatan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Powhatan is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
    • Timberlake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
    • Bedford Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
    • Lawyers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
    • Mount Athos ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
    • Yellow Branch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
  • Lexington City
    • Lexington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Lynchburg City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Woodbine Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
    • Lavino Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
    • Lynchburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Nelson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Balcony Falls, with the one closest to Balcony Falls listed first.
    • Massies Mill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Massies Mill is located in Nelson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Massies Mill
    • Jonesboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jonesboro is located in Nelson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesboro
    • Tyro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Colleen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Colleen is located in Nelson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colleen
    • Bryant
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bryant is located in Nelson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryant
    • Arrington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Balcony Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Balcony Falls.

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 Balcony Falls - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Salling Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Glasgow Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Tolley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Lidia Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Falling Spring Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Diamond Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Natural Bridge Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Sharon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Paxton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wesley Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • High Bridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (219 more) ...

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Balcony Falls had a population of 212 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Glasgow
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Snowden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Snowden is located in Amherst County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowden
  • Gilmore Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Gilmore Mills is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore Mills
  • Buffalo Forge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
  • Fancy Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fancy Hill is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Hill
  • Natural Bridge
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Major
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Major is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Major
  • Longwood ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
  • Zollman ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Zollman is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zollman
  • Alpine
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Alpine is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
  • Big Island
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Rocky Point
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sedalia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Sedalia is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
    • Waugh
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Waugh is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
    • Murat
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Murat is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murat

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

Newspapers Published in Balcony Falls ...

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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Balcony Falls.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Balcony Falls, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Balcony Falls.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Balcony Falls:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Balcony Falls) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Balcony Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.