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 Callaghan (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 Callaghan. 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 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.
Callaghan is located in Alleghany 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 Alleghany County: Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Rockbridge, Greenbrier (WV) & Monroe (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Callaghan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Callaghan:
- Alleghany County (The home county of Callaghan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Moss Run
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Run is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
- Low Moor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rich Patch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
- Selma
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Selma is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Clifton Forge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Iron Gate
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
- Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
- Griffith
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Griffith is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
- Bath County
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Greenwood ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Carloover
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Carloover is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carloover
- Healing Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Healing Springs is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
- Cowardin ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cowardin is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowardin
- Mitchelltown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchelltown is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchelltown
- Mountain Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Grove is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
- Warm Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bath Alum
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bath Alum is located in Bath County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath Alum
- Millboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Strom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Strom is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
- Glen Wilton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Glen Wilton is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Wilton
- Oriskany
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Haden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Haden is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
- Gala
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gala is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gala
- Salisbury
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Salisbury is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
- Salt Petre Cave
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Haymakertown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Fincastle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Springwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Springwood is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
- Amsterdam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Buchanan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Covington City
- Covington
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Craig County
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- New Castle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Abbott
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Abbott is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Catawba
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mason Cove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Longwood ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- Springfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Red Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
- Greenbrier County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Wild Meadow
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wild Meadow is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Meadow
- Neola
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Neola is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
- Tuckahoe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- White Sulphur Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Anthony
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Anthony is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
- Brink ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Brink is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
- Spring Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Creek is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Caldwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Frankford
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Frankford is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankford
- Falling Spring
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Falling Spring is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Clendenenville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Clendenenville is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clendenenville
- Fairlea
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Lewisburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Monroe County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Hollywood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hillsdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Union
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Pocahontas County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Hillsboro
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Watoga ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Watoga is located in Pocahontas County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watoga
- Buckeye
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Huntersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Marlinton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Thorny Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Thorny Creek is located in Pocahontas County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorny Creek
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Callaghan, see our County-by-County Page for Callaghan.
Cemeteries Near Callaghan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Callaghan.
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 Callaghan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Callaghan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Helmintoller Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hoke Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mallow Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lewis Tunnel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Humphries Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hooks Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Alleghany Memorial Park
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Simmons Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Continue List (118 more) ...
- Sunrise Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Watts Chapel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Oakland Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Callaghan had a population of 122 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Callaghan, with the one closest to Callaghan listed first.
- Moss Run
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Run is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
- Backbone
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Backbone is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Backbone
- Mallow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mallow is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallow
- Alvon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Alvon is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvon
- Alleghany
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Alleghany is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany
- Rich Patch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
- Low Moor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mapledale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mapledale is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapledale
- Tuckahoe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- Selma
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Selma is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Sue
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sue is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sue
- White Sulphur Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Strom
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Strom is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
- Clifton Forge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sweet Chalybeate
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sweet Chalybeate is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Chalybeate
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Callaghan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Callaghan.
Newspapers Published in Callaghan ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Callaghan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Callaghan, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Callaghan.
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 helpful 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 Callaghan:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Alleghany County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bath County
- Botetourt County
- Covington City
- Craig County
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge County
- Greenbrier County
- Monroe County
- Pocahontas 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> | 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 Callaghan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Callaghan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |