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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 Bolar (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 Bolar. 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 northwest 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 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.

Bolar is located in Bath 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 Bath County: Alleghany, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Greenbrier (WV) & Pocahontas (WV).

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

  • Bath County     (The home county of Bolar)
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bolar, with the one closest to Bolar listed first.
    • Griffith
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Griffith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
      • Griffith is located in Alleghany County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Griffith
      • From Bolar to Griffith
    • Clifton Forge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Iron Gate
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
      • Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Selma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selma have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County
  • Augusta County
  • Highland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bolar, with the one closest to Bolar listed first.
    • Buckeye ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckeye have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Highland County
    • Clover Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clover Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Creek
      • Clover Creek is located in Highland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clover Creek
      • From Bolar to Clover Creek
    • Meadowdale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowdale
      • Meadowdale is located in Highland County
    • McDowell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hightown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hightown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightown
      • Hightown is located in Highland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hightown
      • From Bolar to Hightown
    • Monterey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monterey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Highland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monterey <2>
    • Possum Trot
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Palo Alto
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Palo Alto. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
      • Palo Alto is located in Highland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Palo Alto
      • From Bolar to Palo Alto
  • Rockbridge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bolar, with the one closest to Bolar listed first.
    • Goshen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Kerrs Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kerrs Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrs Creek
      • Kerrs Creek is located in Rockbridge County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kerrs Creek
      • From Bolar to Kerrs Creek
    • Brownsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Davis
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis
      • Davis is located in Rockbridge County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Davis
      • From Bolar to Davis
  • Greenbrier County (WV)
  • Pendleton County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bolar, with the one closest to Bolar listed first.
    • Harper
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Moyers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Moyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moyers
      • Moyers is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Moyers
      • From Bolar to Moyers
    • Sugar Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Dry Run
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dry Run. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Run
      • Dry Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dry Run
      • From Bolar to Dry Run
  • Pocahontas County (WV)
  • Randolph County (WV)

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

Cemeteries Near Bolar ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bolar.

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 Bolar covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Stony Run Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stony Run Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stony Run Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Big Valley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cleek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cleek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cleek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burnsville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Doyle Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Doyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Doyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lightner Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lightner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lightner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Griffin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Griffin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Griffin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sively Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sively Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sively Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Valley Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gragg Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gragg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gragg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chestnut Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chestnut Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chestnut Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (69 more) ...
    • Warm Springs Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warm Springs Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Warm Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Mary Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Mary Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Mary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Dilly Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dilly Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dilly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 in 1895, Bolar had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Burnsville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Williamsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Williamsville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsville
    • Williamsville is located in Bath County
  • Buckeye ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckeye have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
    • Buckeye is located in Highland County
  • Sunrise
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunrise have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise
    • Sunrise is located in Bath County
  • Mill Gap
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Gap
    • Mill Gap is located in Highland County
  • Fort Lewis ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
    • Fort Lewis is located in Bath County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Fort Lewis
    • From Bolar to Fort Lewis
  • Clover Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clover Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Creek
    • Clover Creek is located in Highland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Clover Creek
    • From Bolar to Clover Creek
  • Green Valley
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
    • Green Valley is located in Bath County
  • Vanderpool
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vanderpool have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderpool
    • Vanderpool is located in Highland County
  • Bath Alum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bath Alum. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath Alum
    • Bath Alum is located in Bath County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bath Alum
    • From Bolar to Bath Alum
  • Armstrong
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Armstrong have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armstrong
    • Armstrong is located in Bath County
  • Meadowdale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowdale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowdale
    • Meadowdale is located in Highland County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Bolar ...

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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bolar.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bolar, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bolar.

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 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 Bolar:

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

The official website for Bath County: www.bathcountyva.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Bolar, 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' (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- Bolar) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bolar. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2168, Longitude: -79.6765    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025