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 Blessing (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 Blessing. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.
Blessing is located in Wythe 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 Wythe County: Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Pulaski & Smyth.
Below are the counties that are near Blessing. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blessing:
- Wythe County (The home county of Blessing)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Crockett
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Rural Retreat
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wytheville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Speedwell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Kent
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Siloam
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Fort Chiswell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Max Meadows
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ivanhoe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Austinville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Bland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bastian
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Hicksville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Mechanicsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
- Rocky Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Round Bottom
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Round Bottom is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Sheep Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sheep Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
- Oak Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Shorts Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
- Sylvatus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sylvatus is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvatus
- Woodlawn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Star
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Star is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Hillsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pipers Gap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
- Galax City
- Galax
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Elk Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Fries
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Trout Dale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bridle Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Baywood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Rugby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Low Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Low Gap is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Pulaski
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Draper
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hilton Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Sassin ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sassin is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
- Mack Creek Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
- Wurno
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Wurno is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
- Newbern
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Dublin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Atkins
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Mount Carmel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Marion
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Ellendale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Adwolf
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Seven Mile Ford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Broadford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Chilhowie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Saltville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Little Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Shawver Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Asberrys
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Springville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Springville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
- Saint Clair
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
- Five Oaks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Tazewell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Bluefield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wittens Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Falls Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
- Adria
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Pisgah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Washington County
- Loves Mill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Alleghany County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Amelia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Piney Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ennice
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Topia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Edmonds
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Sparta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sparta is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Helton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Sturgills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Bishop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Anawalt
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Mercer County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Bluefield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bethel ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Edison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Edison is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
- Nemours
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Yards
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Blake ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Blake is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
- El Centro ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
- Littlesburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
- Bramwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coopers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
- Freeman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- East River ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- East River is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East River
- Flipping
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blessing, see our County-by-County Page for Blessing.
Cemeteries Near Blessing ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blessing.
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 Blessing - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blessing covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Earhart Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Berea Christian Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- West End Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Kimberling Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rosewood Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Murpheyville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Steffy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Galilee Christian Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview Methodist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (643 more) ...
- Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- St. Johns Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Floglesong Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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 Blessing in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blessing.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blessing, with the one closest to Blessing listed first.
- Crockett
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Grubb
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grubb is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubb
- Rural Retreat
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Petunia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Petunia is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petunia
- Summit
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Wytheville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Groseclose
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Effna
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Effna is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effna
- Speedwell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Cripple Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cripple Creek is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cripple Creek
- Ceres
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Ceres is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Kent
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Atkins
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Comers Rock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Comers Rock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comers Rock
- Burkes Garden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blessing. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blessing.
Newspapers Published in Blessing ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blessing.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blessing, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blessing.
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 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 Blessing:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Wythe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Carroll County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Pulaski County
- Smyth County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe 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 'straight-line' (or 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- Blessing) 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 Blessing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |