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 Effna (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 Effna. 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 and hospitals 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.
Effna is located in Bland 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 Bland County: Giles, Pulaski, Smyth, Tazewell, Wythe & Mercer (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Effna. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Effna:
- Bland County (The home county of Effna)
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Bland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bastian
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Rocky Gap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Mechanicsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
- Round Bottom
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Round Bottom is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
- Buchanan County
- Bearwallow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Sheep Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sheep Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
- Oak Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Shorts Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
- Sylvatus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sylvatus is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvatus
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Shumate
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Shumate is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
- Thessalia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Thessalia is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thessalia
- Poplar Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Poplar Hill is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Hill
- Glen Lyn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Glen Lyn is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Narrows
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Elk Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Trout Dale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fries
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Hilton Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Pulaski
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sassin ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Sassin is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
- Draper
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wurno
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Wurno is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
- Dublin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mack Creek Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
- Newbern
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Atkins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Carmel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Ellendale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Marion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Broadford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Adwolf
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Seven Mile Ford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Chilhowie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Little Town
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Shawver Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Springville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Springville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
- Bluefield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Saint Clair
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
- Five Oaks
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Falls Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
- Wittens Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Tazewell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Yards
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Yards is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Asberrys
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Thompson Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Abbs Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Crockett
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Kent
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Rowe Crossroads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Max Meadows
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Speedwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Fort Chiswell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Siloam
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Locust Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Ivanhoe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Austinville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Bishop
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Anawalt
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Elkhorn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Elkhorn is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
- Newhall
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- Thorpe
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Thorpe is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
- Gary
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
- Kyle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kyle is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
- Northfork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Keystone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Big Four
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Big Four is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
- Kimball
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- War
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Yukon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Mercer County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Bluefield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bethel ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Yards
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Edison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Edison is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
- Nemours
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bramwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Coopers
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
- Freeman
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Littlesburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
- El Centro ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
- Flipping
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
- Blake ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Blake is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
- Montcalm
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Montcalm is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Effna, see our County-by-County Page for Effna.
Cemeteries Near Effna ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Effna.
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 Effna - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Effna covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Crabtree Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Houndshell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Shewey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- The Shewey Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shewey Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Shewey Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<2> to the west of Bland.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #52125 <3>
- Bethel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Red Oak Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Burkes Garden Central Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sharon Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Newberry Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberry Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Newberry Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<2> to the southwest of Bland.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #51439 <3>
- Thompson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Floglesong Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Earhart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (535 more) ...
- Temple Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Newberry - Oaklawn Farm Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- The Newberry - Oaklawn Farm Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberry - Oaklawn Farm Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Newberry - Oaklawn Farm Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the southeast of Bland.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2509648 <3>
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, Effna had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Effna, with the one closest to Effna listed first.
- Ceres
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ceres is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Grapefield
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Grapefield is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapefield
- Burkes Garden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cove Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cove Creek is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Creek
- Shawver Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Stowersville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Stowersville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowersville
- Petunia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Petunia is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petunia
- Hicksville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Gratton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gratton is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
- Summit
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Rural Retreat
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Grubb
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grubb is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubb
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Clear Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Clear Fork is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
- Groseclose
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Effna. See our List of 1890's Communities around Effna.
Newspapers Published in Effna ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Effna.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Effna, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Effna.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Effna:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buchanan County
- Carroll County
- Giles County
- Grayson County
- Pulaski County
- Smyth County
- Tazewell County
- Wythe 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> | 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- Effna) 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 Effna, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |