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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 Oaks (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 Oaks. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Five Oaks 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 Five Oaks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Five Oaks:

  • Tazewell County     (The home county of Five Oaks)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Wittens Mills
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Tazewell
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Adria
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Springville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Springville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Thompson Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
    • Pisgah
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Abbs Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Little Town
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Little Town is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
    • Maxwell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Dunford Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Sayersville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Bland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Bastian
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Bland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Rocky Gap
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Round Bottom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Round Bottom is located in Bland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
    • Mechanicsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
  • Buchanan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Mavisdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Matney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Rowe
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Janey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
  • Russell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Dye
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Dye is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Honaker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Russell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Russell is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
  • Smyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Ellendale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Broadford
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Atkins
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carmel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Marion
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Allison Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Cardwell Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Saltville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
    • Adwolf
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Adwolf is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
    • Sugar Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
    • Chilhowie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Clinchburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Clinchburg is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
    • Fleet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Loves Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Loves Mill is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
    • Glade Spring
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Wythe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Rural Retreat
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Crockett
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Wytheville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rowe Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
    • Speedwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Speedwell is located in Wythe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
    • Kent
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Kent is located in Wythe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
  • McDowell County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Newhall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Anawalt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Gary
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Thorpe
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • War
      (15 miles [24.1 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
    • Elkhorn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Yukon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Big Four
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Keystone
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Kyle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
    • Northfork
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Kimball
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Kimball is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kimball <1>
  • Mercer County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Yards
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Coopers
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Nemours
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bramwell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Bluefield
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Freeman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Coaldale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Flipping
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Bethel ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Littlesburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Montcalm
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Edison
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Edison is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
    • El Centro ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
  • Wyoming County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Five Oaks, with the one closest to Five Oaks listed first.
    • Woosley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Bud
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Fanny
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Mullensville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Stoneville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Mullens
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mullens is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,288 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mullens <1>
    • Pineville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming

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

Cemeteries Near Five Oaks ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Five Oaks.

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 Oaks - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Watts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Mays Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Peery Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Hezekiah Harman Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Witten Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Herts Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Bowen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Morton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • The Morton Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Morton Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the west of Springville.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #51238 <2>
  • Wilburn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Stevens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Earls Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (627 more) ...
    • Green Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Brown Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Graham Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 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, Five Oaks had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Wittens Mills
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Gratton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Gratton is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
  • Pisgah
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Thompson Valley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
  • Springville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Springville is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
  • Shraders
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Maxwell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Shawver Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
  • Bailey
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Sayersville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Gap Store
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
  • Burkes Garden
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Asberrys
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
    • Gillespie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
    • Cove Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Cove Creek is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Creek

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

Newspapers Published in Five Oaks ...

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 Oaks.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Five Oaks:

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Five Oaks) 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 Five Oaks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.