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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 Marvin (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 Marvin. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

Marvin 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 Marvin. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Marvin:

  • Buchanan County     (The home county of Marvin)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Mavisdale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Rowe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Matney
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Height
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Vansant
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Jackson Flats
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Grundy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Royal City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
    • Council
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Council is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
    • Leemaster
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Leemaster is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
  • Dickenson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Bucu
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Bucu is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
    • Carrie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Carrie is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
    • Aily
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Aily is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aily
    • Haysi
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Haysi is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haysi <1>
    • Clinchco
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Tarpon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Tarpon is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
    • Nora
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Nora is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
    • Omaha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Omaha is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omaha
    • Herald
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Herald is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herald
    • Clintwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Darwin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Darwin is located in Dickenson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darwin
  • Russell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Dye
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Dye is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Russell is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Artrip
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Artrip is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artrip
    • Barnett
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Barnett is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
    • Elk Garden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Elk Garden is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
    • Cleveland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Cleveland is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
    • Lebanon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Spring City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Spring City is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring City
    • Kiser ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kiser is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiser
    • Jessees Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jessees Mill is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessees Mill
    • Carterton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Carterton is located in Russell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterton
  • Smyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Allison Gap
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Cardwell Town
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Broadford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Saltville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Ellendale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Chilhowie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Red Ash
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Ash is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
    • Raven
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Raven is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
    • Richlands
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Bluff
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Harman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
    • Claypool Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
    • Steeleburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
    • Pounding Mill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Paintlick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
    • Dunford Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Maxwell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Sayersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Clinchburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Clinchburg is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
    • Brumley Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Brumley Gap is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brumley Gap
    • Lindell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Lindell is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
    • Glenford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Glenford is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
    • Glade Spring
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Lowland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Lowland is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowland
    • Holston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Holston is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holston
    • Fleet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Greendale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Greendale is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
  • Wise County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Saint Paul
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Virginia City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Virginia City is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
    • Dwina
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dwina is located in Wise County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwina
  • Pike County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
    • Mouthcard
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
    • Fedscreek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fedscreek is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedscreek
    • Lick Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Lick Creek is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
    • Elkhorn City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Stopover
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
    • Coleman
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Cedarville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Cedarville is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
    • Majestic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
    • Belcher
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Belcher is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belcher
    • Calloway Branch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Calloway Branch is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calloway Branch
    • Phelps
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • McDowell County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Height
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Paynesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Paynesville is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Jackson Flats
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Peapatch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Bradshaw
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • War
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • War is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Yukon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Newhall
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Avondale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Union City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Union City is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
    • Iaeger
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Iaeger is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
    • Panther
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Panther is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
  • Mingo County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Wharncliffe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Baisden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Gilbert Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Gilbert
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Thacker
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Thacker is located in Mingo County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thacker
  • Wyoming County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Marvin, with the one closest to Marvin listed first.
    • Cub City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Stoneville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Woosley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County (WV)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley

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

Cemeteries Near Marvin ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Marvin.

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 Marvin - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hurt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Hurt Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<2> to the north of Raven.
    • The Hurt Cemetery has also been known as:
    • John Garland Hurt Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2436889 <3>
  • Keen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Ratliff Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • McGlothlin Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Boyd Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Coleman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Whitt Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lockhart Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ray Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Ball Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Compton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (874 more) ...
    • Baldwin Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Baldwin Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Lester Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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 Marvin in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Marvin.

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

  • Shack Mills
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Shack Mills is located in Buchanan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shack Mills
  • Doran
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Swords Creek
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Richlands
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Pleasant Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Grundy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Davenport
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Honaker
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Bearwallow
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Clifton
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Clifton is located in Russell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
  • Cedar Bluff
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Bee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bee is located in Dickenson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Duty
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Duty is located in Buchanan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duty
    • Steeleburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
    • Harman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman

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

Newspapers Published in Marvin ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Marvin.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Marvin, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Marvin.

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 helpful 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 Marvin:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Marvin) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<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 Marvin, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.