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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 Bedford Springs (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 Bedford Springs. 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 Bedford Springs ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Bedford Springs: Bedford Spgs. (or less commonly used: Bedford Spngs. or Bedford Sprngs.)

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.

Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Campbell County: Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Charlotte, Halifax & Pittsylvania.

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

  • Campbell County     (The home county of Bedford Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Timberlake
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
    • Powhatan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lawyers
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lawyers
      • From Bedford Springs to Lawyers
    • Rustburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Lynch Station
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Altavista
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altavista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altavista
      • Altavista is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,422 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altavista <3>
    • Mount Athos ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Athos have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
      • Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
    • Gladys
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Zion
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Leesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Concord
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Melrose
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Melrose
      • From Bedford Springs to Melrose
    • Hat Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Amherst County
  • Appomattox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Spring Mills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Spout Spring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Beckham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Mineral ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
      • Mineral is located in Appomattox County
    • Appomattox
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Evergreen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Bent Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Bedford City
  • Bedford County
  • Botetourt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Rocky Point
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Buchanan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lithia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lithia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lithia
      • From Bedford Springs to Lithia
    • Blue Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
      • Blue Ridge is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Ridge <3>
    • Springwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Buena Vista City
    • Buena Vista
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Buena Vista City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
  • Charlotte County
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
    • North Shore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
      • North Shore is located in Franklin County
    • Westlake Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
    • Penhook
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Hall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hall
      • Union Hall is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Hall <3>
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Cody
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Rabat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rabat. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
      • Rabat is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rabat
      • From Bedford Springs to Rabat
    • Leda
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
      • Leda is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leda
      • From Bedford Springs to Leda
  • Lynchburg City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Woodbine Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
    • Lynchburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lavino Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavino Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
      • Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
  • Nelson County
  • Pittsylvania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Hurt
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hurt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt
      • Hurt is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurt <3>
    • Brutus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brutus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
      • Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brutus
      • From Bedford Springs to Brutus
    • Renan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Gretna
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Pittsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Chalk Level
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Markham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Riceville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Sonans
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
      • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonans
      • From Bedford Springs to Sonans
    • Whittles
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Sheva
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sheva. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
      • Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sheva
      • From Bedford Springs to Sheva
  • Rockbridge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs listed first.
    • Glasgow
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenlee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenlee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
      • Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
    • Natural Bridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo Forge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Fancy Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Longwood ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County

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

Cemeteries Near Bedford Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bedford Springs.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bedford Springs, with the one closest to Bedford Springs 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bedford Springs had a population of 194 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lawyers
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
    • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lawyers
    • From Bedford Springs to Lawyers
  • Forest
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Evington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evington
    • Evington is located in Campbell County
  • Yellow Branch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yellow Branch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
    • Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
  • Bellevue
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellevue have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Bellevue is located in Bedford County
  • Goode
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Coffee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coffee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
    • Coffee is located in Bedford County
  • Perrowville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perrowville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perrowville
    • Perrowville is located in Bedford County
  • Rustburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Bocock
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bocock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bocock
    • Bocock is located in Campbell County
  • Boonsboro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Lowry
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Otter Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Otter Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
      • Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
    • Gillespie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillespie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
      • Gillespie is located in Bedford County
    • Cifax
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cifax. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
      • Cifax is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cifax
      • From Bedford Springs to Cifax

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

Newspapers Published in Bedford Springs ...

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 104 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bedford Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bedford Springs, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bedford Springs.

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 Bedford Springs:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bedford Springs. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Campbell County: www.co.campbell.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Bedford Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bedford Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bedford Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3058, Longitude: -79.2725       In this case, the coordinates for Bedford Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025