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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 Joshua Falls (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 Joshua Falls. 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 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.

Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Amherst County: Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Lynchburg City, Nelson & Rockbridge.

Below are the counties that are near Joshua Falls. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Joshua Falls:

  • Amherst County     (The home county of Joshua Falls)
  • Appomattox County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Beckham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mineral ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
      • Mineral is located in Appomattox County
    • Spout Spring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Appomattox
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Bent Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Evergreen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evergreen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
      • Evergreen is located in Appomattox County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Evergreen
      • From Joshua Falls to Evergreen
    • Pamplin City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Hurtsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Bedford City
  • Bedford County
  • Buckingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Forbes ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forbes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbes
      • Forbes is located in Buckingham County
    • Toga
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Alcoma
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Andersonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Manteo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manteo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteo
      • Manteo is located in Buckingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manteo
      • From Joshua Falls to Manteo
    • Mount Vinco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Buckingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Enonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Enonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enonville
      • Enonville is located in Buckingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Enonville
      • From Joshua Falls to Enonville
    • Glenmore
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glenmore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenmore
      • Glenmore is located in Buckingham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glenmore
      • From Joshua Falls to Glenmore
  • Buena Vista City
    • Buena Vista
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Buena Vista City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <1>
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Mount Athos ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Athos have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
      • Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
    • Concord
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Rustburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Powhatan
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Lawyers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lawyers
      • From Joshua Falls to Lawyers
    • Timberlake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
    • Mount Zion
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Bedford Springs
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gladys
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Hat Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hat Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hat Creek
      • Hat Creek is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hat Creek
      • From Joshua Falls to Hat Creek
    • Lynch Station
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Altavista
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altavista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altavista
      • Altavista is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,422 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altavista <1>
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
    • Rough Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Phenix
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phenix have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
      • Phenix is located in Charlotte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
    • Aspenwall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Cullen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Halifax County
  • Lynchburg City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Lynchburg
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lavino Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavino Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
      • Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
    • Woodbine Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
  • Nelson County
  • Pittsylvania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Hurt
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hurt have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt
      • Hurt is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurt <1>
    • Brutus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brutus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
      • Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brutus
      • From Joshua Falls to Brutus
  • Prince Edward County
  • Rockbridge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Joshua Falls, with the one closest to Joshua Falls listed first.
    • Glasgow
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo Forge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenlee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenlee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
      • Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
    • Riverside
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riverside. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Rockbridge County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riverside
      • From Joshua Falls to Riverside
    • Fancy Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Natural Bridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Joshua Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Joshua Falls.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Arch Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arch Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arch Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Scott Zion Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Rose Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Grace Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grace Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grace Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Feagans Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Feagans Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Feagans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mead Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mead Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mead Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beth Joseph Agudath Sholom Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beth Joseph Agudath Sholom Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beth Joseph Agudath Sholom Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Megginson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Megginson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Megginson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Presbyterian Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Presbyterian Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Presbyterian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Rock Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Rock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Falwell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Falwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Falwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (172 more) ...
    • Drinkard Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Drinkard Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Drinkard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olivet Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lone Pine Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Pine Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Joshua Falls had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Mount Athos ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Athos have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
    • Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
  • Bocock
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bocock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bocock
    • Bocock is located in Campbell County
  • Stapleton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stapleton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stapleton
    • Stapleton is located in Amherst County
  • Coolwell
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Coolwell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
    • Coolwell is located in Amherst County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Coolwell
    • From Joshua Falls to Coolwell
  • Concord
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Mineral ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral
    • Mineral is located in Appomattox County
  • Walkers Ford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Rustburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Old Pilot ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Pilot have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Pilot
    • Old Pilot is located in Appomattox County
  • Oakville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakville
    • Oakville is located in Appomattox County
  • Elon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
    • Elon is located in Amherst County
  • Salt Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salt Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Creek
    • Salt Creek is located in Amherst County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Abert
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Abert. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abert
      • Abert is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Abert
      • From Joshua Falls to Abert
    • Boonsboro
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Lawyers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lawyers
      • From Joshua Falls to Lawyers

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

Newspapers Published in Joshua Falls ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Joshua Falls.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Joshua Falls, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Joshua Falls.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Joshua Falls:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Joshua Falls. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Amherst County: www.countyofamherst.com/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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- Joshua Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Joshua Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4234, Longitude: -79.0536       In this case, the coordinates for Joshua Falls have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Joshua Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025