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 Chatham Hill (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 Chatham Hill. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.
Chatham Hill is located in Smyth 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 Smyth County: Bland, Grayson, Russell, Tazewell, Washington & Wythe.
Below are the counties that are near Chatham Hill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chatham Hill:
- Smyth County (The home county of Chatham Hill)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Ellendale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Mount Carmel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Marion
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Atkins
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Broadford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Adwolf
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Seven Mile Ford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Sugar Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Chilhowie
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Allison Gap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Saltville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Bastian
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Rocky Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Bearwallow
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Peapatch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Height
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Rowe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rowe is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Trout Dale
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Rugby
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Whitetop
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Elk Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Independence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Dye
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Elk Garden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Honaker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Barnett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Russell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Lebanon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Asberrys
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Thompson Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Pisgah
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Tazewell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Maxwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Five Oaks
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Pounding Mill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Adria
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Wittens Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Little Town
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Claypool Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Paintlick
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Fleet
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Glade Spring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Clinchburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Friendship
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Lodi
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Masada
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Lindell
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Green Cove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Glenford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Damascus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Drowning Ford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Crockett
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Speedwell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Wytheville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Kent
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Siloam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Alleghany County (NC)
- Piney Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sturgills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Helton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Apple Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Brandon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Weavers Ford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Grayson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Grayson is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Bishop
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Newhall
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- War
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Anawalt
(26 miles [41.8 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
- Yukon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Height
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Gary
(28 miles [45.1 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
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Thorpe is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
- Elkhorn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Elkhorn is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Mercer County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Nemours
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Yards
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Bluefield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Coopers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
- Bramwell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Coaldale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Coaldale is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
- Bethel ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Flipping
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
- Littlesburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chatham Hill, see our County-by-County Page for Chatham Hill.
Cemeteries Near Chatham Hill ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chatham Hill.
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 Chatham Hill - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chatham Hill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Chatham Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Totten Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Gillespie Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Olinger Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Richardson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Hubble Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Sexton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Hays Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Goodman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Ridgedale UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Young Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Continue List (716 more) ...
- Thompson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 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 Chatham Hill had a population of 183 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chatham Hill, with the one closest to Chatham Hill listed first.
- Asberrys
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Ellendale
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Tannersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Tannersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannersville
- Longhollow ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Longhollow is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longhollow
- Broadford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Marion
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Atkins
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Thompson Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Groseclose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Ceres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ceres is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Pisgah
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Seven Mile Ford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Adwolf
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Maxwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Gillespie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chatham Hill. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chatham Hill.
Newspapers Published in Chatham Hill ...
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 Chatham Hill.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chatham Hill, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chatham Hill.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Chatham Hill:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Smyth County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Buchanan County
- Grayson County
- Russell County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Wythe 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> | 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 Chatham Hill, 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 from Point A (ie- Chatham Hill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |