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 Gillespie (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 Gillespie. 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 hospitals 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.
Gillespie 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 Gillespie. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gillespie:
- Bedford County (The home county of Gillespie)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Huddleston
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Lowry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Joppa Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Bellevue
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Goode
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Moneta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Radford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Forest
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cifax
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Cifax is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Peaksville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Madison Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Pedlar Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
- Joshua Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshua Falls
- Pleasant View
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Coolwell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Coolwell is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
- 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
- Appomattox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Spring Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Spring Mills is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Mills
- Spout Spring
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Spout Spring is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spout Spring
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Buchanan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Lithia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Rocky Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Apple Tree Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Runaway Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Springwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Springwood is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
- Troutville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cloverdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Amsterdam
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Leesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Bedford Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Altavista
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Timberlake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Timberlake is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Lawyers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lawyers is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
- Powhatan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Powhatan is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
- Yellow Branch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
- Rustburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Gladys
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Melrose
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- 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
- Westlake Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Penhook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Union Hall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Burnt Chimney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Laprades Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Redwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Villa ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Gogginsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Boones Mill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Cody
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Cody is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
- Leda
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Leda is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
- Lynchburg City
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Woodbine Village
(17 miles [27.4 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
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Hurt
(11 miles [17.7 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
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Brutus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
- Gretna
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Renan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
- Museville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Whittles
(22 miles [35.4 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
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Sonans
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Sheva
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Markham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Markham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
- Riceville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Buena Vista
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Roanoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Greenlee
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Glasgow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Natural Bridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Springfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Red Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gillespie, see our County-by-County Page for Gillespie.
Cemeteries Near Gillespie ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gillespie.
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 Gillespie - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gillespie covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Leftwich Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Independence Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Old Bethany Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vaughn Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Morgan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stone Road Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Rock Pike Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Whitten - Hogan Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mt. Hermon Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fairmount Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (561 more) ...
- St. John Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Terrace View Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Green Hill Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Gillespie had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gillespie, with the one closest to Gillespie listed first.
- Chestnut Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Fork
- Otter Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
- Fancy Grove ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Fancy Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Grove
- Leesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Evington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Evington is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evington
- Bunker Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Dundee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Lynch Station
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Davis Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Bedford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lowry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Moneta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Otter View ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Otter View is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter View
- Bedford Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Bellevue
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gillespie. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gillespie.
Newspapers Published in Gillespie ...
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 Gillespie.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gillespie, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gillespie.
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 Gillespie:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Bedford City
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Lynchburg City
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge 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> | 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 Gillespie, 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 from Point A (ie- Gillespie) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |