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 Marion (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 Marion. 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 Marion ...
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.
In past government published Postal Guides, Marion was referred to as Marion Courthouse.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Marion. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Marion.
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.
For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.
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 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.
Marion is located in Smyth County and is the County Seat.
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 Smyth County: Bland, Grayson, Russell, Tazewell, Washington & Wythe.
Below are the counties that are near Marion. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Marion:
- Smyth County (The home county of Marion)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Mount Carmel
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Atkins
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Adwolf
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Ellendale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Seven Mile Ford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Sugar Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Chilhowie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Broadford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Bland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bastian
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Buchanan County
- Bearwallow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Trout Dale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Rugby
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Whitetop
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Elk Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Elk Garden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Dye
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Barnett
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Honaker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Asberrys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Thompson Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Paintlick
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Maxwell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Pisgah
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Tazewell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Pounding Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Little Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Claypool Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Steeleburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Five Oaks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Adria
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Loves Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Fleet
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Friendship
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Glade Spring
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Masada
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Green Cove
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Lodi
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Clinchburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Damascus
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Drowning Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Glenford
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Crockett
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Speedwell
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Rowe Crossroads
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Wytheville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Kent
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Ivanhoe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Siloam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Alleghany County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Piney Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Topia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Amelia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Scottville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sturgills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Brandon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Helton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Apple Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Weavers Ford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Grayson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Grayson is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- Lansing
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Comet
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Comet is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Crumpler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Roten
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Roten is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
- Warrensville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Shingletown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Fuller
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Mountain City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Bishop
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Newhall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Marion, see our County-by-County Page for Marion.
Cemeteries Near Marion ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marion.
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 Marion - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Marion covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Round Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- SW Virginia Mental Health Institute Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Allen Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Hutton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rose Lawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Anderson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Spring Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- McGhee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Goodpasture Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Crouse Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Marchant Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (648 more) ...
- Wassum Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Thomas Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Kirk Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
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 Marion had a population of 1,651 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Marion had a population of 5,555 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Marion, with the one closest to Marion listed first.
- Adwolf
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Atkins
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Seven Mile Ford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Ellendale
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Sugar Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Longhollow ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Longhollow is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longhollow
- Chatham Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Chatham Hill is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Hill
- Chilhowie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Groseclose
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Trout Dale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Broadford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Loves Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Tannersville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Tannersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannersville
- Summit
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Asberrys
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Marion. See our List of 1890's Communities around Marion.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Marion ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marion.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Marion. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Marion and those printed in the larger area surrounding Marion.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3> of Marion.
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 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 Marion:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Smyth County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Buchanan County
- Grayson County
- Russell County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Wythe County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Johnson County
- McDowell 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 Marion, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Marion) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |