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 Looney (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 Looney. 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 and doctors 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.
Looney is located in Craig 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 Craig County: Alleghany, Botetourt, Giles, Montgomery, Roanoke & Monroe (WV).
Below are the counties that are near Looney. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Looney:
- Craig County (The home county of Looney)
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- New Castle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Abbott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abbott is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Simmonsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Huffman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Huffman is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Captain
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Captain is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Moss Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Moss Run is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
- Rich Patch
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
- Low Moor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Selma
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Selma is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
- Clifton Forge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Iron Gate
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
- Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Villamont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Villamont is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
- Montvale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Chamblissburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Goodview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Haymakertown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Amsterdam
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Daleville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Oriskany
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fincastle
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Troutville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Apple Tree Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Runaway Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Laymantown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Blue Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Covington City
- Covington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Terrys Fork
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Simpsons
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Boones Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Algoma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Algoma is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Kire
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Kire is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
- Newport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Newport is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Mountain Lake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Mountain Lake is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Eggleston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goodwins Ferry
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
- Pembroke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Elliston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bennetts Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
- Mount Tabor Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Tabor Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor Village
- Shawsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Blacksburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- McBryde Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- McBryde Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBryde Village
- Sundance Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
- Ellett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Montgomery
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Alleghany Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Alleghany Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany Springs
- Houchins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Merrimac
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Merrimac is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Cowan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cowan is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Parrott
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Parrott is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Roanoke
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Catawba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Cove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Hanging Rock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Riverside
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Wabun
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Hollins
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cave Spring
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Vinton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Montgomery Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Bent Mountain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Salem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Greenbrier County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Tuckahoe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- White Sulphur Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Caldwell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Ronceverte
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairlea
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rockland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rockland is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Brink ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Brink is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
- Wild Meadow
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wild Meadow is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Meadow
- Fort Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Spring is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spring
- Lewisburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Frazier
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Frazier is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier
- Anthony
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Anthony is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
- Monroe County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Hollywood
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hillsdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Union
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Union is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Wikel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wikel is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
- Assurance
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Assurance is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Wolfcreek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wolfcreek is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfcreek
- Wayside
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Wayside is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
- Creamery
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Creamery is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Looney, see our County-by-County Page for Looney.
Cemeteries Near Looney ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Looney.
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 Looney - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Looney covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Huffman Memorial Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman Memorial Park
- The Huffman Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Chestnut Grove Church Cemetery
- Looney Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Harper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Huffman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Leffel Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Nutter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Lee Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West View Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brickey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sarver Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Crawford Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford Memorial Cemetery
- The Crawford Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
- Paxton Chapel Church Cemetery
- Caldwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (327 more) ...
- Paitsel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sarver Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Paxton Cemetery
(5 miles [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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Looney had a population of 27 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Looney, with the one closest to Looney listed first.
- Abbott
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abbott is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- New Castle
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gunn
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Gunn is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunn
- Sinking Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sinking Creek is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinking Creek
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Catawba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Paint Bank
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Craigs Creek ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Craigs Creek is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigs Creek
- Potts Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Potts Creek is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potts Creek
- Sweet Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sweet Springs is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Springs
- Centennial
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Centennial is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial
- Laurel Branch
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Laurel Branch is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Branch
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Simmonsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Bradshaw
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bradshaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradshaw
- Sweet Chalybeate
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Sweet Chalybeate is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Chalybeate
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Looney. See our List of 1890's Communities around Looney.
Newspapers Published in Looney ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Looney.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Looney, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Looney.
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 Looney:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Craig County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alleghany County
- Bedford County
- Botetourt County
- Covington City
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Giles County
- Montgomery County
- Pulaski County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Greenbrier County
- Monroe 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 Looney, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Looney) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |