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 Five Forks (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 Five Forks. 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 Five Forks ...
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 Five Forks: Five Frks.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Five Forks. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Five Forks.
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 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 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.
Five Forks 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 Five Forks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Five Forks:
- Bedford County (The home county of Five Forks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Joppa Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Lowry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Davis Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Peaksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Goode
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Huddleston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Moneta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bellevue
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Cifax
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cifax is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Chamblissburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Radford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Madison Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Pedlar Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
- Winesap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Pleasant View
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Joshua Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshua Falls
- Coolwell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Coolwell is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
- Allwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Allwood is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allwood
- Sweet Briar Station
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sweet Briar Station is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Briar Station
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Lithia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Buchanan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Rocky Point
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Troutville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Apple Tree Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Runaway Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Springwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Springwood is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
- Cloverdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Amsterdam
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Daleville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Bedford Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Leesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Timberlake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Timberlake is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Powhatan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Powhatan is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
- Lynch Station
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Lawyers
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Lawyers is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
- Altavista
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Yellow Branch
(18 miles [29 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Athos ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
- Mount Zion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Westlake Corner
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- North Shore
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Burnt Chimney
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Union Hall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Penhook
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Villa ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Redwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Laprades Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Boones Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Rocky Mount
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lynchburg City
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Woodbine Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
- Lavino Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
- Lynchburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Hurt
(17 miles [27.4 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
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Brutus
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
- Gretna
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Museville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Renan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
- Whittles
(28 miles [45.1 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
- Chalk Level
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Worlds
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Sonans
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Sheva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Buena Vista
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- 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
- Roanoke
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Cave Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Hanging Rock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Mason Cove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Greenlee
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Glasgow
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Natural Bridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Red Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
- Springfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Fancy Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Fancy Hill is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Hill
- Longwood ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- Buffalo Forge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Sunset Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Five Forks, see our County-by-County Page for Five Forks.
Cemeteries Near Five Forks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Five Forks.
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 Five Forks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Five Forks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Fairmount Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Otey Street Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Longwood Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bond Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Morgans Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Rose Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tate Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Leftwich Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Whitten - Hogan Family Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- New Hope Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Morgan Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (579 more) ...
- Rock Pike Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Terrace View Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Independence Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
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.<3>
While we didn't find Five Forks in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Five Forks.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Bunker Hill
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Bedford
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Otter Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
- Robertsons ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Robertsons is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertsons
- Chestnut Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Fork
- Davis Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Gillespie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gillespie is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Lowry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Thaxton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Thaxton is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thaxton
- Moneta
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Goode
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Peaksville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Fancy Grove ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Fancy Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Grove
- Bellevue
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Five Forks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Five Forks.
Newspapers Published in Five Forks ...
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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Five Forks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Five Forks, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Five Forks.
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 Five Forks:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amherst County
- Bedford City
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Franklin 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> | 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 Five Forks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Five Forks) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |