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 Doran (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 Doran. 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 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.
Doran is located in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County: Bland, Buchanan, Russell, Smyth, McDowell (WV) & Mercer (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Doran. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Doran:
- Tazewell County (The home county of Doran)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Richlands
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Raven
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Raven is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Red Ash
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Red Ash is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
- Cedar Bluff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Claypool Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Steeleburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Pounding Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Paintlick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Harman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Maxwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Dunford Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
- Sayersville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
- Pisgah
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Bearwallow
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Rowe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Rowe is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Mavisdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
- Height
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Council
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Council is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
- Janey
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Janey is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
- Jackson Flats
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Matney
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Matney is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Vansant
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Leemaster
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Leemaster is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
- Royal City
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Royal City is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
- Dickenson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Carrie
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Carrie is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
- Bucu
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bucu is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
- Aily
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Aily is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aily
- Haysi
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Nora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Nora is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
- Clinchco
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tarpon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Tarpon is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Dye
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Honaker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Russell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Barnett
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Elk Garden
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Artrip
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Artrip is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artrip
- Lebanon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Spring City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Spring City is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring City
- Cleveland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Jessees Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jessees Mill is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessees Mill
- Kiser ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kiser is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiser
- Carterton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carterton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterton
- Dante
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Dante is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dante
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Cardwell Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Allison Gap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Broadford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Ellendale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Chilhowie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Marion
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Adwolf
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Mount Carmel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Atkins
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Clinchburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Lindell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Fleet
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Glade Spring
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Glenford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Brumley Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brumley Gap is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brumley Gap
- Lowland
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lowland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowland
- Friendship
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Loves Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Holston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Holston is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holston
- Lodi
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Greendale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Greendale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
- Abingdon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Abingdon is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,856 people
- Wise County
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Saint Paul
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Virginia City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Virginia City is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
- Pike County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Paw Paw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
- Mouthcard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Height
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Jackson Flats
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Newhall
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- War
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Bishop
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Yukon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Bradshaw
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Avondale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Avondale is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Union City
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Union City is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Gary
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
- Iaeger
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Iaeger is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Doran, see our County-by-County Page for Doran.
Cemeteries Near Doran ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Doran.
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 Doran - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Doran covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Clinch Valley Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Hankins Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Thomas J. Horton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ball Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Robinson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Green Hills Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Richardson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Boyd Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lowe Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Sawyer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ray Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ferrell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (867 more) ...
- Hurt Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hurt Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the north of Raven.
- The Hurt Cemetery has also been known as:
- John Garland Hurt Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2436889 <2>
- Smith Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stevenson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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 in 1895, Doran had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Doran, with the one closest to Doran listed first.
- Richlands
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cedar Bluff
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Clifton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Steeleburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Swords Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pounding Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Belfast
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Belfast is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
- Gillespie
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Harman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Pleasant Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Honaker
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Shack Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shack Mills is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shack Mills
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Rosedale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rosedale is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Maxwell
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Gap Store
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Gap Store is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Doran. See our List of 1890's Communities around Doran.
Newspapers Published in Doran ...
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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Doran.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Doran, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Doran.
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 Doran:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Tazewell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buchanan County
- Dickenson County
- Russell County
- Smyth County
- Washington County
- Wise County
- Pike County
- McDowell 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> | 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- Doran) 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 Doran, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |