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 Benbow (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 Benbow. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Benbow is located in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County: Bland, Buchanan, Russell, Smyth, McDowell (WV) & Mercer (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Benbow. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Benbow:
- Tazewell County (The home county of Benbow)
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Thompson Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Tazewell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Asberrys
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Five Oaks
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Pisgah
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Maxwell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Adria
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Wittens Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Little Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Shraders
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Shraders is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
- Dunford Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
- Bishop
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Sayersville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Bastian
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Bland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hicksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Rocky Gap
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Round Bottom
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Round Bottom is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Bearwallow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Peapatch
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Height
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Jackson Flats
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Mavisdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
- Rowe
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Rowe is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Matney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Matney is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Janey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Janey is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Trout Dale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Elk Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Dye
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Honaker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Russell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Elk Garden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Barnett
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Ellendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Broadford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Atkins
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Carmel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Marion
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Seven Mile Ford
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Allison Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Saltville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Sugar Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Chilhowie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Fleet
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clinchburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Glade Spring
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Friendship
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Lindell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Lodi
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Masada
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Glenford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Crockett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wytheville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Speedwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Kent
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Bishop
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Newhall
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- War
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Anawalt
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Gary
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
- Thorpe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Thorpe is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
- Yukon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Peapatch
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Elkhorn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Elkhorn is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Height
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Big Four
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Big Four is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
- Keystone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Kimball
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Mercer County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Nemours
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Yards
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Bramwell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Coopers
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
- Bluefield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Coaldale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Coaldale is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Bethel ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Flipping
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
- Littlesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
- Montcalm
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Montcalm is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
- Edison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Edison is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
- El Centro ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Benbow, see our County-by-County Page for Benbow.
Cemeteries Near Benbow ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benbow.
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 Benbow - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Benbow covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Crabtree Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Thompson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hezekiah Harman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Maplewood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Martin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Watts Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Peery Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Necessary Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Goodman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Witten Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (688 more) ...
- Mays Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mitchell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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 Benbow in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Benbow.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Benbow, with the one closest to Benbow listed first.
- Thompson Valley
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Asberrys
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Five Oaks
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Pisgah
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Maxwell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Chatham Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Chatham Hill is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Hill
- Gratton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Gratton is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
- Wittens Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Tannersville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tannersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannersville
- Gap Store
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gap Store is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
- Shraders
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Shraders is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
- Ceres
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Ceres is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Burkes Garden
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gillespie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Ellendale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Benbow. See our List of 1890's Communities around Benbow.
Newspapers Published in Benbow ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benbow.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Benbow, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Benbow.
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 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 Benbow:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Tazewell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Buchanan County
- Grayson County
- Russell County
- Smyth County
- Washington County
- Wythe County
- McDowell County
- Mercer County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Benbow) 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 Benbow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |