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 Ira (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 Ira. 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 and doctors 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.
Ira is located in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County: Pike (KY), Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell, McDowell (WV) & Mingo (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Ira. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ira:
- Buchanan County (The home county of Ira)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Kelsa
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Kelsa is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
- Big Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Big Rock is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
- Grundy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Matney
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Matney is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Royal City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Royal City is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
- Paynesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Vansant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Jackson Flats
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Janey
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Janey is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
- Leemaster
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Leemaster is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
- Mavisdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
- Height
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Dickenson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Haysi
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Tarpon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Tarpon is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
- Clinchco
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Bucu
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bucu is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
- Aily
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Aily is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aily
- Clintwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Carrie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Carrie is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
- Nora
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nora is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
- Omaha
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Omaha is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omaha
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Russell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Dye
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Honaker
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Red Ash
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Red Ash is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
- Raven
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Raven is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Harman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Richlands
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Bluff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dunford Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
- Floyd County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Osborn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Osborn is located in Floyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
- Galveston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Galveston is located in Floyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galveston
- Betsy Layne
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Harold
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Harold is located in Floyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harold
- Teaberry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Teaberry is located in Floyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaberry
- Pike County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Paw Paw
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
- Stopover
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
- Coleman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Phelps
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Majestic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
- Calloway Branch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Calloway Branch is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calloway Branch
- Fedscreek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Fedscreek is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedscreek
- Freeburn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Freeburn is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburn
- Mouthcard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
- Ransom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ransom is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
- McVeigh
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- McVeigh is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McVeigh
- Lick Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Lick Creek is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
- Pinsonfork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pinsonfork is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinsonfork
- Logan County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Stirrat
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Stirrat is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirrat
- Wylo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Wylo is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
- Omar
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mallory
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mallory is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
- Man
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Man is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Man
- Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Man <1>
- Switzer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Switzer is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
- Kistler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kistler is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
- Mineral City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mineral City is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
- Whitman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Holden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Holden is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holden
- Accoville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Accoville is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Accoville
- Wilkinson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Braeholm
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Braeholm is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeholm
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Panther
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Panther is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
- Wyoming City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wyoming City is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming City
- Paynesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Paynesville is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Jackson Flats
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Iaeger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Iaeger is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Avondale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Avondale is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Bradshaw
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Union City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Union City is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Wilmore
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Wilmore is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
- Height
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Big Sandy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Big Sandy is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
- Roderfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Roderfield is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
- Mingo County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Thacker
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Thacker is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thacker
- Wharncliffe
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Blackberry City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Blackberry City is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry City
- Matewan
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Baisden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Gilbert Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
- Sprigg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sprigg is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprigg
- Musick
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Musick is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musick
- Pie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Pie is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pie
- Red Jacket
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Red Jacket is located in Mingo County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Jacket
- Gilbert
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Williamson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Delbarton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wyoming County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Cub City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cub City is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
- Uno
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Uno is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uno
- Stoneville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Stoneville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
- Baileysville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Baileysville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
- Sun Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
- Fanny
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Fanny is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
- Clear Fork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
- Woosley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Woosley is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
- Wyoming
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Wyoming is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
- Mullensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Mullensville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ira, see our County-by-County Page for Ira.
Cemeteries Near Ira ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ira.
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 Ira - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ira covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Coleman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Lester Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Belcher Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fletcher Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Shortridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hurley Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Blankenship Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Justice Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Justice Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mounts Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rife Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Dotson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (650 more) ...
- Phillips Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Blankenship Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Coleman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<2>
While we didn't find Ira in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ira.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ira, with the one closest to Ira listed first.
- Paw Paw
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
- Jamboree
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jamboree is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamboree
- Phelps
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coleman
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
- Big Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Big Rock is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
- Mouthcard
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
- Grundy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Pinsonfork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Pinsonfork is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinsonfork
- Kimper
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Kimper is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimper
- Iaeger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Iaeger is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
- Bradshaw
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Shack Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Shack Mills is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shack Mills
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- North Spring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- North Spring is located in Wyoming County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Spring
- Canada
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fishtrap
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Fishtrap is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishtrap
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ira. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ira.
Newspapers Published in Ira ...
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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ira.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ira, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ira.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Ira:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Buchanan County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Dickenson County
- Russell County
- Tazewell County
- Floyd County
- Pike County
- Logan County
- McDowell County
- Mingo County
- Wyoming 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> | 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 Ira, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ira) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |