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 Mentow (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 Mentow. 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.
Mentow is located in Bedford 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 Bedford County: Amherst, Botetourt, Campbell, Franklin, Pittsylvania, Roanoke & Rockbridge.
Below are the counties that are near Mentow. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mentow:
- Bedford County (The home county of Mentow)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Huddleston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Davis Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Lowry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Joppa Mill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Moneta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bellevue
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Goode
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Radford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Forest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Cifax
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Cifax is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
- Chamblissburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Amherst County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Madison Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Joshua Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Joshua Falls is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joshua Falls
- Winesap
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Winesap is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
- Pedlar Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
- Coolwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Coolwell is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
- Pleasant View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Appomattox County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Spring Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Spring Mills is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Mills
- Spout Spring
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Spout Spring is located in Appomattox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spout Spring
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Buchanan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Lithia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Rocky Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
- Apple Tree Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Cloverdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Runaway Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Troutville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Daleville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Springwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Springwood is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Leesville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Altavista
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bedford Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Timberlake
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Timberlake is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Lawyers
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lawyers is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
- Yellow Branch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
- Powhatan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Powhatan is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
- Rustburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Gladys
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Melrose
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Mount Athos ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Athos is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Athos
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- North Shore
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Westlake Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Penhook
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Union Hall
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Laprades Mill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Burnt Chimney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Redwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Villa ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Rocky Mount
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Boones Mill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Cody
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Cody is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
- Leda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Leda is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
- Rabat
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rabat is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
- Sign Rock
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sign Rock is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Rock
- Lynchburg City
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Woodbine Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
- Lynchburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lavino Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Hurt
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hurt is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurt <1>
- Pittsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Brutus
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
- Gretna
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Renan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
- Chalk Level
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Whittles
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
- Whittles has also been known as:
- Whittle's Depot
- Whittle's Station
- Museville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Sonans
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Sheva
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Markham
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Markham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
- Chatham
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Riceville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Buena Vista
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Roanoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Rockbridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Greenlee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Glasgow
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Natural Bridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mentow, see our County-by-County Page for Mentow.
Cemeteries Near Mentow ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mentow.
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 Mentow - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mentow covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Leftwich Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Independence Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Old Bethany Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vaughn Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Stone Road Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Morgan Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Hermon Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pisgah Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Green Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Pike Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Whitten - Hogan Family Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Bohn / Cundiff Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (564 more) ...
- St. John Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Green Lawn Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
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 Mentow in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Mentow.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mentow, with the one closest to Mentow listed first.
- Gillespie
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Gillespie is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Chestnut Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Fork
- Otter Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Otter Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Hill
- Leesville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Fancy Grove ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fancy Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Grove
- Dundee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dundee is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Lynch Station
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Evington
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Evington is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evington
- Bunker Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
- Davis Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Otter View ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Otter View is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter View
- Motley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Motley is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Lowry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Moneta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Kasey
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kasey is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasey
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mentow. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mentow.
Newspapers Published in Mentow ...
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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Mentow.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mentow, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mentow.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Mentow:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Bedford City
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Lynchburg City
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge 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 'straight-line' (or 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- Mentow) 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 Mentow, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |