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 Collier (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 Collier. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.
Collier 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 Collier. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Collier:
- Wythe County (The home county of Collier)
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Speedwell
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Rowe Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Crockett
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rural Retreat
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ivanhoe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Kent
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Siloam
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Austinville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Fort Chiswell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Max Meadows
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Bland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Bastian
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Hicksville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Mechanicsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
- Rocky Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Sheep Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Sheep Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
- Oak Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- 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
- Woodlawn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Pipers Gap
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
- Sylvatus
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sylvatus is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvatus
- Hillsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Star
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Star is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Drenn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Drenn is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
- Lambsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fancy Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Galax City
- Galax
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Elk Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Bridle Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Fries
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Trout Dale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Baywood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rugby
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Low Gap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Low Gap is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Whitetop
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Draper
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pulaski
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hilton Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Mack Creek Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Atkins
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Carmel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Marion
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Adwolf
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Ellendale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Seven Mile Ford
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Broadford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Chilhowie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Saltville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Little Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Asberrys
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Shawver Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Thompson Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Tazewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Five Oaks
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Springville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Springville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
- Wittens Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Saint Clair
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
- Pisgah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Bluefield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Adria
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Maxwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Loves Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Green Cove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Fleet
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Masada
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Friendship
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Alleghany County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Piney Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Amelia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Topia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Ennice
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sparta
(22 miles [35.4 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>
- Scottville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Edmonds
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Hooker
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Hooker is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Glade Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Weavers Ford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Crumpler
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Helton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Sturgills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Brandon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Lansing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Transou
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Transou is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Apple Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Wagoner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Comet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Comet is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Warrensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Surry County (NC)
- Low Gap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Collier, see our County-by-County Page for Collier.
Cemeteries Near Collier ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Collier.
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 Collier - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Collier covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Speedwell Methodist Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Zion Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Fairview Methodist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keesling Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Carmi Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Steffy Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Berea Christian Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Murpheyville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hale Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jerusalem Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (602 more) ...
- Rosewood Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kirk Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Collier in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Collier.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Collier, with the one closest to Collier listed first.
- Speedwell
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Crockett
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Comers Rock
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Comers Rock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comers Rock
- Elk Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Cripple Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Cripple Creek is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cripple Creek
- Rural Retreat
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fallville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fallville is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallville
- Grubb
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Grubb is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubb
- Summit
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Spring Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Valley is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
- Petunia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Petunia is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petunia
- Groseclose
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Sugar Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Flat Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Collier. See our List of 1890's Communities around Collier.
Newspapers Published in Collier ...
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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Collier.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Collier, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Collier.
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 Collier:
- 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
- Surry 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Collier) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Collier, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |