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 McDonalds Mill (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 McDonalds Mill. 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 McDonalds Mill ...
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.
- A typical abbreviation for McDonalds Mill: McDonalds Ml. (or less commonly used: McDonalds Mll.)
- While the name of this community is McDonalds Mill, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So McDonalds Mill may originally have been McDonald's Mill.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case McDonalds Mill might be written as McDonald Mill.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named McDonalds Mill. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for McDonalds Mill.
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.
McDonalds Mill is located in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County: Craig, Floyd, Giles, Pulaski & Roanoke.
Below are the counties that are near McDonalds Mill. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to McDonalds Mill:
- Montgomery County (The home county of McDonalds Mill)
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Bennetts Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
- Elliston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Tabor Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Mount Tabor Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor Village
- Ellett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Shawsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Blacksburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- McBryde Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- McBryde Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBryde Village
- Sundance Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
- Montgomery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Alleghany Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Alleghany Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany Springs
- Houchins
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Merrimac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Merrimac is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Villamont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Villamont is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
- Goodview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Montvale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Cloverdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Runaway Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Haymakertown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Apple Tree Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Daleville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Amsterdam
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Laymantown
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Troutville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Fincastle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Blue Ridge
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Oriskany
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Craig County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Huffman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Huffman is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Simmonsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Abbott
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Abbott is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Captain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Captain is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
- New Castle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Terrys Fork
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Simpsons
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Sowers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sowers is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
- Pizarro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Poff
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Poff is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poff
- Floyd
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Haycock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Duncan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Duncan is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Indian Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Algoma
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Algoma is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
- Boones Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hickman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hickman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Gogginsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Burnt Chimney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Barfoot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Ferrum
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Mount
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Villa ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Giles County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Newport
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Newport is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Mountain Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Mountain Lake is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Kire
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kire is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
- Eggleston
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Goodwins Ferry
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
- Pembroke
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pearisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bluff City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Bluff City is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Poplar Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Poplar Hill is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Hill
- Thessalia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Thessalia is located in Giles County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thessalia
- Narrows
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Rich Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Cowan
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cowan is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Fairlawn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Fairlawn is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlawn
- Parrott
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Parrott is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
- Snowville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Snowville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowville
- Dublin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Newbern
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wurno
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wurno is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
- Sassin ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sassin is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
- Radford City
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Mill Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Mill Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Radford Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Radford Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford Village
- Radford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Simpkins Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Simpkins Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpkins Village
- Sunset Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- New Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- New Town is located in Radford City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Roanoke
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Buena Vista
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- 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 McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Riverside
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Wabun
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Catawba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mason Cove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Hanging Rock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Bent Mountain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cave Spring
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Hollins
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Vinton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Montgomery Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Salem
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Sunset Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Logan County (WV)
- Rich Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Rich Creek is located in Logan County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Creek
- Monroe County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Hollywood
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hillsdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Union
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Union is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Assurance
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Assurance is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Wikel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wikel is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
- Peterstown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ballard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ballard is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard
- Wayside
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wayside is located in Monroe County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to McDonalds Mill, see our County-by-County Page for McDonalds Mill.
Cemeteries Near McDonalds Mill ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McDonalds Mill.
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 McDonalds Mill - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for McDonalds Mill covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Moore - Bain Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Johns Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Alls Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Whitelock Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bennett Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brilheart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Beard Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Richardson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Anderson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lafayette Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Spessard Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hall Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (467 more) ...
- Furrow Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furrow Family Cemetery
- The Furrow Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Furrow Cemetery
- Grave Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Grave 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that McDonalds Mill had a population of 50 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from McDonalds Mill, with the one closest to McDonalds Mill listed first.
- Bradshaw
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Bradshaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradshaw
- Bennetts Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
- Lafayette
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lafayette is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette
- Elliston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fagg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Fagg is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fagg
- Simmonsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Huffman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Huffman is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Ellett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Sinking Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sinking Creek is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinking Creek
- Blacksburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Shawsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Yellow Sulphur Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Catawba
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Houchins
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around McDonalds Mill. See our List of 1890's Communities around McDonalds Mill.
Newspapers Published in McDonalds Mill ...
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 19 newspapers that have been published in the area around McDonalds Mill.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McDonalds Mill, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McDonalds Mill.
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 McDonalds Mill:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Montgomery County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford County
- Botetourt County
- Craig County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Giles County
- Pulaski County
- Radford City
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Logan County
- Monroe County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 McDonalds Mill, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- McDonalds Mill) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |