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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 Rawley Springs (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 Rawley Springs. 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 Rawley Springs ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Rawley Springs: Rawley Spgs. (or less commonly used: Rawley Spngs. or Rawley Sprngs.)

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Rawley Springs is located in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County: Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Page, Shenandoah, Hardy (WV) & Pendleton (WV).

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

  • Rockingham County     (The home county of Rawley Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • Clover Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clover Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
      • Clover Hill is located in Rockingham County
    • Lilly
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
      • Lilly is located in Rockingham County
    • Briery Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briery Branch
      • Briery Branch is located in Rockingham County
    • Ottobine
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottobine
      • Ottobine is located in Rockingham County
    • Coakley Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coakley Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coakley Town
      • Coakley Town is located in Rockingham County
    • Hinton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
      • Hinton is located in Rockingham County
    • Rushville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
      • Rushville is located in Rockingham County
    • New Erection
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Erection
      • New Erection is located in Rockingham County
    • Spring Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
      • Spring Creek is located in Rockingham County
    • Singers Glen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singers Glen
      • Singers Glen is located in Rockingham County
    • Dayton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Rockingham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,642 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
    • Bridgewater
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Edom
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
      • Edom is located in Rockingham County
  • Augusta County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • Mount Solon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Stokesville ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stokesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokesville
      • Stokesville is located in Augusta County
    • Parnassus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parnassus
      • Parnassus is located in Augusta County
    • Weyers Cave
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Churchville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Grottoes
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Verona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Sampson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sampson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sampson
      • Sampson is located in Augusta County
    • Crimora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brand
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brand have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brand
      • Brand is located in Augusta County
    • Jolivue
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jolivue
      • Jolivue is located in Augusta County
    • Arbor Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbor Hill
      • Arbor Hill is located in Augusta County
    • Deerfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
      • Deerfield is located in Augusta County
  • Harrisonburg City
    • Harrisonburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Highland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • Palo Alto
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palo Alto have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palo Alto
      • Palo Alto is located in Highland County
    • Possum Trot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Trot
      • Possum Trot is located in Highland County
    • McDowell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Monterey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monterey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Highland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monterey <2>
  • Page County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • Shenandoah
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shenandoah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shenandoah
      • Shenandoah is located in Page County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,334 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shenandoah <2>
    • Verbena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Verbena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verbena
      • Verbena is located in Page County
    • Leaksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leaksville
      • Leaksville is located in Page County
    • Stanley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanley
      • Stanley is located in Page County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,676 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stanley <2>
  • Shenandoah County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • New Market
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Orkney Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Basye - Bryce Mountain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Clifton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Clifton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clifton
      • Mount Clifton is located in Shenandoah County
    • Mount Jackson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Jackson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Jackson
      • Mount Jackson is located in Shenandoah County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,144 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Jackson <2>
    • Jerome
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jerome have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
      • Jerome is located in Shenandoah County
  • Staunton City
    • Staunton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Grant County (WV)
    • Dorcas
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
      • Dorcas is located in Grant County (WV)
  • Hardy County (WV)
  • Pendleton County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rawley Springs, with the one closest to Rawley Springs listed first.
    • Propstburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propstburg
      • Propstburg is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Brandywine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fort Seybert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Seybert
      • Fort Seybert is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Sugar Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Franklin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Pendleton County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 638 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <2>
    • Ruddle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruddle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruddle
      • Ruddle is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Zigler
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zigler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zigler
      • Zigler is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Kline
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kline have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
      • Kline is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Harper
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
      • Harper is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Brushy Run
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
      • Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Circleville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dry Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Run
      • Dry Run is located in Pendleton County (WV)
    • Ketterman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ketterman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
      • Ketterman is located in Pendleton County (WV)

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

Newspapers Published in Rawley Springs ...

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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rawley Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rawley Springs, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rawley Springs.

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 websites either 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 Rawley Springs:

Cemeteries Near Rawley Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rawley Springs.

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 Rawley Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • George W. Arey Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the George W. Arey Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the George W. Arey Family Cemetery
  • Rawley Springs Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Croushorn Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Peak Pentecostal Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Clover Hill UMC Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Dry River Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Dry River Mennonite Church Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dry River Mennonite Church Cemetery
  • Bowman / Whitmer Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Briery Branch Church of the Brethren Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Anderson Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Anderson Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Anderson Family Cemetery
  • Mt. Horeb Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Clinton Mennonite Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Spring Creek Negro Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Spring Creek Negro Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Creek Negro Cemetery
  • Continue List   (272 more) ...
    • George Wine Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the George Wine Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the George Wine Cemetery
    • Wine Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Ottobine UMC Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)

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 Rawley Springs had a population of 38 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Clover Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clover Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Hill
    • Clover Hill is located in Rockingham County
  • Lilly
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilly
    • Lilly is located in Rockingham County
  • Ottobine
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottobine
    • Ottobine is located in Rockingham County
  • Hinton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinton
    • Hinton is located in Rockingham County
  • Mount Clinton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Clinton
    • Mount Clinton is located in Rockingham County
  • Rushville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
    • Rushville is located in Rockingham County
  • Spring Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
    • Spring Creek is located in Rockingham County
  • Dale Enterprise
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dale Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dale Enterprise
    • Dale Enterprise is located in Rockingham County
  • Sangerville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sangerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sangerville
    • Sangerville is located in Augusta County
  • Dayton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
    • Dayton is located in Rockingham County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,642 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
  • Green Mount
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Mount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Mount
    • Green Mount is located in Rockingham County
  • Singers Glen
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Singers Glen
    • Singers Glen is located in Rockingham County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Bridgewater
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Edom
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edom
      • Edom is located in Rockingham County
    • Mount Solon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)

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

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

The official website for Rockingham County: www.co.rockingham.va.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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 '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- Rawley Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rawley Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5054, Longitude: -79.0564       In this case, the coordinates for Rawley Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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.
<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 Rawley Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024