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Home >> State of Virginia >> Bedford County >> Fancy Grove >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Fancy Grove. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Fancy Grove to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Fancy Grove, please Contact Us.


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 Fancy Grove (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 Fancy Grove. 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 Fancy Grove ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Fancy Grove: Fancy Grv.

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.

Although our information shows that the community of Fancy Grove is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Fancy Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fancy Grove:

  • Bedford County     (The home county of Fancy Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Huddleston
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Davis Mill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
    • Radford
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Radford is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
    • Moneta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Joppa Mill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
    • Clevilas ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Clevilas is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
    • Goodview
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Chamblissburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
    • Coonsville ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Coonsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
    • Lowry
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Lowry is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
    • Goode
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bellevue
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bellevue is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Peaksville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Peaksville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
  • Amherst County
  • Bedford City
    • Bedford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Botetourt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Blue Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Laymantown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
    • 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
    • Cloverdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lithia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
    • Runaway Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
    • Troutville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Buchanan
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Daleville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Amsterdam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
    • Botetourt ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
    • Springwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
    • Fincastle
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Leesville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Leesville is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
    • Lynch Station
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
    • Altavista
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Bedford Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
    • Timberlake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
    • Yellow Branch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
    • Lawyers
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
    • Powhatan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Powhatan is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
    • Gladys
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Rustburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Melrose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Melrose is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
    • Mount Zion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • North Shore
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • North Shore is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
    • Westlake Corner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
    • Penhook
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Hall
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Felicia ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Felicia is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
    • Burnt Chimney
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
    • Laprades Mill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
    • Redwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Redwood is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
    • Villa ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Villa is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
    • Rocky Mount
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Gogginsville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
    • Boones Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Leda is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
  • Henry County
    • Leatherwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Leatherwood is located in Henry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
  • Lynchburg City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Woodbine Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
    • Lavino Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
    • Lynchburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pittsylvania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Pittsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
    • Hurt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • 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 <2>
    • Museville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
    • Gretna
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Gretna is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <2>
    • Brutus
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
    • Whittles
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Worlds
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
    • Chalk Level
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
    • Sonans
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
    • Weal
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
    • Renan
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
    • Sheva
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
    • Chatham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
  • Roanoke City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Garden City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Garden City is located in Roanoke City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
    • Buena Vista
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Roanoke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Roanoke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Montgomery Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
    • Vinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hollins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Cave Spring
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
    • Hanging Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
  • Salem City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.
    • Sunset Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Sunset Village is located in Salem City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
    • Salem
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fancy Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Fancy Grove.

Cemeteries Near Fancy Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fancy Grove.

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 Fancy Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fancy Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.

  • Morgan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Bohn / Cundiff Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Leftwich Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Morgans Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Staunton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Stone Road Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Thomas Chapel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ressurection Catholic Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Booth - Joplin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Witcher Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Toney Family Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Indian Ridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (664 more) ...
    • Blankenship Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Parker Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Bethany Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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.

Fancy Grove itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 103 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Fancy Grove, with the one closest to Fancy Grove listed first.

  • Otter View ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Otter View is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter View
  • Dundee
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dundee is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
  • Chestnut Fork
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Fork
  • Davis Mill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
  • Kasey
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Kasey is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasey
  • Moneta
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Gillespie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Gillespie is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
  • Scruggs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Scruggs is located in Franklin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scruggs
  • Leesville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Leesville is located in Campbell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
  • Otter Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
  • Bunker Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
  • Brights
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Brights is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brights
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Clevilas ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Clevilas is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
    • Robertsons ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Robertsons is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsons

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fancy Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fancy Grove.

Newspapers Published in Fancy Grove ...

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 Fancy Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fancy Grove, 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 Fancy Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Fancy Grove:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Fancy Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Fancy Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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.