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 Laurel Branch (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 Laurel Branch. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for Laurel Branch ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Laurel Branch: Laurel Br. (or less commonly used: Laurel Brnch.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Laurel Branch. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Laurel Branch.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Laurel Branch is located in Floyd 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 Floyd County: Carroll, Franklin, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski & Roanoke.
Below are the counties that are near Laurel Branch. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel Branch:
- Floyd County (The home county of Laurel Branch)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Floyd
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Poff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Poff is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poff
- Duncan
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Duncan is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Sowers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Sowers is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
- Haycock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Indian Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pizarro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Terrys Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Simpsons
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Pike City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pike City is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
- Dugspur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Nester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Nester is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
- Gladesboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gladesboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
- Star
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Star is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Sylvatus
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sylvatus is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvatus
- Hillsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fancy Gap
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Shorts Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
- Cana
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Woodlawn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Drenn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Drenn is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
- Craig County
- Huffman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Huffman is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Algoma
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Algoma is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
- Ferrum
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Prilliman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Prilliman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prilliman
- Henry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hickman
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Hickman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Barfoot
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Gogginsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Boones Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Mount
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sydnorsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Newport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Newport is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Goodwins Ferry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
- Eggleston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Poplar Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Poplar Hill is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Hill
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Bassett
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Level
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Stanleytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Reed Creek Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Fieldale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Preston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Collinsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Villa Heights
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Pilot
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Riner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Childress
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Childress is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childress
- Rogers
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Rogers is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
- Oak Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Christiansburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Old Farm Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Old Farm Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Farm Village
- Raintree Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Raintree Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raintree Village
- Houchins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Alleghany Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alleghany Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany Springs
- Montgomery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Ellett
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Patrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Woolwine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Charity
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Charity is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Meadows of Dan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Elamsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Dodson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Stuart
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Carters Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Patrick Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ararat
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Peters Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Critz
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Stella
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Stella is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Snowville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Snowville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowville
- Mack Creek Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
- Fairlawn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fairlawn is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlawn
- Newbern
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Dublin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Draper
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cowan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cowan is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Wurno
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wurno is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
- Parrott
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Parrott is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
- Pulaski
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hilton Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Sassin ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sassin is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
- Radford City
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Simpkins Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Simpkins Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpkins Village
- Mill Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- New Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- New Town is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Radford Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Radford Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford Village
- Sunset Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Radford
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Bent Mountain
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Riverside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Wabun
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Cave Spring
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Austinville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Locust Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Fort Chiswell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Max Meadows
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Stokes County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Aarons Corner
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
- Campbell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Lawsonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Lawsonville is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Surry County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Mount Herman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Mount Herman is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
- Albion
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Albion is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Flat Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Flat Rock is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Sheltontown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sheltontown is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
- Westfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel Branch, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel Branch.
Cemeteries Near Laurel Branch ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel Branch.
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 Laurel Branch - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Sowers Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Mannon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jacksonville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pine Creek Primitive Baptist Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- White Rock Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Duncan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Big Sand Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Shelor - Booth Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Cox Family Cemetery
- The Cox Family Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Family Cemetery
- Jim Quesenberry Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jim Quesenberry Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Jim Quesenberry Cemetery is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the southwest of Indian Valley.
- The Jim Quesenberry Cemetery has also been known as:
- Tom Quesenberry Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2201528 <2>
- Turman Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Shelor Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Continue List (774 more) ...
- Mountain View Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Conners View Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Hollandsworth Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
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>
While we didn't find Laurel Branch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laurel Branch.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Duncan
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Duncan is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Haycock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Indian Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pizarro
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Pilot
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Riner
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Woolwine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Charity
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Charity is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Terrys Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Huffville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Huffville is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffville
- Childress
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Childress is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childress
- Meadows of Dan
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Snowville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Snowville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowville
- Dugspur
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Vesta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel Branch.
Newspapers Published in Laurel Branch ...
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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel Branch.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel Branch, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel Branch.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Laurel Branch:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Floyd County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Craig County
- Franklin County
- Giles County
- Henry County
- Montgomery County
- Patrick County
- Pulaski County
- Radford City
- Roanoke County
- Wythe County
- Stokes County
- Surry 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Laurel Branch) 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 Laurel Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |