Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Otter View. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Otter View to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Otter View, please Contact Us.
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 Otter View (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 Otter View. 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 Otter View ...
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.
Another variation: Otterview.
- A typical abbreviation for Otter View: Otter Vw.
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 and hospitals 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Otter View is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Otter View. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Otter View:
- Bedford County (The home county of Otter View)
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Radford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Davis Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Moneta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Huddleston
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Joppa Mill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Goodview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Chamblissburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Lowry
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Goode
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Bellevue
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bellevue is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
- Montvale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Apple Tree Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Runaway Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Cloverdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lithia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Troutville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Daleville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Buchanan
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Amsterdam
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Leesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Altavista
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bedford Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
- Timberlake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Timberlake is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
- Lawyers
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lawyers is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
- Powhatan
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Powhatan is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
- Yellow Branch
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Yellow Branch is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Branch
- Gladys
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rustburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Melrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Melrose is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Mount Zion
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- North Shore
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Westlake Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Penhook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Union Hall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Burnt Chimney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Laprades Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Redwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Villa ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Rocky Mount
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Barfoot
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Cody
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cody is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
- Leda
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Leda is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Leatherwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Oak Level
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Reed Creek Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Lynchburg City
- Woodbine Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Pittsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Museville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Hurt
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- 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 <2>
- Gretna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Worlds
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Brutus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
- Whittles
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Weal
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Chalk Level
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Sheva
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Sonans
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Chatham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Renan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Garden City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Buena Vista
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Roanoke
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hollins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cave Spring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Hanging Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Bent Mountain
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Sunset Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Otter View, see our County-by-County Page for Otter View.
Cemeteries Near Otter View ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otter View.
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 Otter View - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Otter View covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Bohn / Cundiff Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Morgan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Staunton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Toney Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Indian Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Parker Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Blankenship Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Thomas Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Wilson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Morgans Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ressurection Catholic Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Meador Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (702 more) ...
- Booth - Joplin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Witcher Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pasley 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.
Otter View itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 13 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Otter View, with the one closest to Otter View listed first.
- Kasey
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Kasey is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasey
- Fancy Grove ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fancy Grove is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Grove
- Dundee
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Dundee is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundee
- Scruggs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Scruggs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scruggs
- Moneta
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Davis Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Chestnut Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chestnut Fork is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Fork
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Union Hall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Penhook
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Brights
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brights is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brights
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Leesville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Gillespie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gillespie is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Bunker Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Bunker Hill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Otter View. See our List of 1890's Communities around Otter View.
Newspapers Published in Otter View ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Otter View.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otter View, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otter View.
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 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 Otter View:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Bedford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford City
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Henry County
- Lynchburg City
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Otter View, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Otter View) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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. |