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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 Moss Run (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 Moss Run. 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.

Moss Run is located in Alleghany County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Alleghany County: Bath, Botetourt, Craig, Rockbridge, Greenbrier (WV) & Monroe (WV).

Below are the counties that are near Moss Run. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Moss Run:

  • Alleghany County     (The home county of Moss Run)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Run, with the one closest to Moss Run listed first.
    • Rich Patch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Low Moor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Selma
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County
    • Clifton Forge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Iron Gate
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
      • Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Griffith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Griffith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
      • Griffith is located in Alleghany County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Griffith
      • From Moss Run to Griffith
  • Bath County
  • Botetourt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Run, with the one closest to Moss Run listed first.
    • Strom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Strom. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
      • Strom is located in Botetourt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Strom
      • From Moss Run to Strom
    • Glen Wilton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Haden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
      • Haden is located in Botetourt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haden
      • From Moss Run to Haden
    • Gala
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Salisbury
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Fincastle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Salt Petre Cave
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Salt Petre Cave. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Petre Cave
      • Salt Petre Cave is located in Botetourt County
      • Salt Petre Cave has also been known as:
      • Salt Peter Cave
      • Saltpetre
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Salt Petre Cave
      • From Moss Run to Salt Petre Cave
    • Botetourt ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Botetourt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
      • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
    • Springwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Daleville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Lithia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lithia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lithia
      • From Moss Run to Lithia
    • Troutville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Covington City
    • Covington
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
      • Covington is located in Covington City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,639 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Covington <1>
  • Craig County
  • Roanoke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Run, with the one closest to Moss Run listed first.
    • Mason Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Moomaw ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moomaw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
      • Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
  • Rockbridge County
    • Longwood ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
  • Greenbrier County (WV)
  • Monroe County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Run, with the one closest to Moss Run listed first.
    • Hollywood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Hillsdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hillsdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
      • Hillsdale is located in Monroe County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hillsdale
      • From Moss Run to Hillsdale
    • Union
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Wolfcreek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Pocahontas County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Moss Run, with the one closest to Moss Run listed first.
    • Hillsboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsboro
      • Hillsboro is located in Pocahontas County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 236 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hillsboro <1>
    • Watoga ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Watoga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watoga
      • Watoga is located in Pocahontas County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Watoga
      • From Moss Run to Watoga
    • Buckeye
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Huntersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Marlinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marlinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlinton
      • Marlinton is located in Pocahontas County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marlinton <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Moss Run ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Moss Run.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Helmintoller Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helmintoller Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helmintoller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hoke Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hoke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hoke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lewis Tunnel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Tunnel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Tunnel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mallow Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mallow Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mallow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Smith Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Humphries Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Humphries Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Humphries Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Simmons Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simmons Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simmons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hooks Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hooks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hooks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carter Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carter Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alleghany Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alleghany Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alleghany Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Moss Run had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Callaghan
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaghan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaghan
    • Callaghan is located in Alleghany County
  • Backbone
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Backbone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Backbone
    • Backbone is located in Alleghany County
  • Mallow
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mallow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallow
    • Mallow is located in Alleghany County
  • Alleghany
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alleghany have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany
    • Alleghany is located in Alleghany County
  • Tuckahoe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Mapledale
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mapledale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapledale
    • Mapledale is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
  • Rich Patch
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Alvon
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alvon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvon
    • Alvon is located in Greenbrier County (WV)
  • White Sulphur Springs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Sweet Chalybeate
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweet Chalybeate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Chalybeate
    • Sweet Chalybeate is located in Alleghany County
  • Potts Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Potts Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potts Creek
    • Potts Creek is located in Alleghany County
  • Low Moor
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Sweet Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweet Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Springs
      • Sweet Springs is located in Monroe County (WV)
    • Strom
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Strom. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
      • Strom is located in Botetourt County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Strom
      • From Moss Run to Strom
    • Sue
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sue have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sue
      • Sue is located in Greenbrier County (WV)

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

Newspapers Published in Moss Run ...

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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Moss Run.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Moss Run, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Moss Run.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Moss Run:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Moss Run. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Alleghany County: www.co.alleghany.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Moss Run) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Moss Run. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.7883, Longitude: -80.1018    
<6>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 Moss Run, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025