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 Chestnut Fork (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 Chestnut Fork. 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.
Name Variations for Chestnut Fork ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Chestnut Fork: Chestnut Frk.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 and doctors 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.
Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford 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 Bedford County: Amherst, Botetourt, Campbell, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Roanoke & Rockbridge.
Below are the counties that are near Chestnut Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chestnut Fork:
- Bedford County (The home county of Chestnut Fork)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Huddleston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Davis Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Joppa Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Moneta
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Radford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Lowry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Bellevue
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Goode
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Chamblissburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Goodview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Peaksville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Madison Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pedlar Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
- Winesap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Joshua Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshua Falls
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Lithia
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Apple Tree Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Buchanan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Runaway Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Cloverdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Troutville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rocky Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Daleville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Springwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Springwood is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Leesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Altavista
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bedford Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Timberlake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Timberlake is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Lawyers
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lawyers is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
- Powhatan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Powhatan is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
- Yellow Branch
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
- Rustburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Gladys
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Melrose
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Melrose is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Mount Athos ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- North Shore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Westlake Corner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Penhook
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union Hall
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Burnt Chimney
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Laprades Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Redwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Villa ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Boones Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Rocky Mount
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Cody
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cody is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
- Leda
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Leda is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
- Lynchburg City
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Woodbine Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
- Lavino Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
- Lynchburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Hurt
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hurt is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurt <1>
- Pittsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Brutus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
- Gretna
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Museville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Whittles
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
- Whittles has also been known as:
- Whittle's Depot
- Whittle's Station
- Renan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
- Chalk Level
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Sheva
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Worlds
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Sonans
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Weal
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Markham
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Markham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Buena Vista
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Roanoke
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Cave Spring
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Greenlee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Glasgow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Natural Bridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Springfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Red Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
- Salem City
- Sunset Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chestnut Fork, see our County-by-County Page for Chestnut Fork.
Cemeteries Near Chestnut Fork ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chestnut Fork.
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 Chestnut Fork - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chestnut Fork covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Leftwich Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Morgans Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Morgan Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Independence Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bond Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bohn / Cundiff Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stone Road Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Old Bethany Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ressurection Catholic Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Fairmount Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Otey Street Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Vaughn Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (619 more) ...
- Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Longwood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Meador Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Chestnut Fork had a population of 38 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chestnut Fork, with the one closest to Chestnut Fork listed first.
- Gillespie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Gillespie is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Fancy Grove ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fancy Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Grove
- Otter Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
- Davis Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Bunker Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Moneta
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dundee
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Dundee is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Otter View ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Otter View is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter View
- Leesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Robertsons ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Robertsons is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsons
- Kasey
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kasey is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasey
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Lowry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Lynch Station
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chestnut Fork. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chestnut Fork.
Newspapers Published in Chestnut Fork ...
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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chestnut Fork.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chestnut Fork, 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 Chestnut Fork.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Chestnut Fork:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amherst County
- Bedford City
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Lynchburg City
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge County
- Salem City
- 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Chestnut Fork) 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 Chestnut Fork, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |