RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Virginia >> Tazewell County >> Saint Clair >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Virginia

The Commemorative Quarter for Virginia





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 Saint Clair (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 Saint Clair. 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 Saint Clair ...

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 Saint Clair: St. Clair

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 hospitals 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.

Saint Clair is located in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County: Bland, Buchanan, Russell, Smyth, McDowell (WV) & Mercer (WV).

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

  • Tazewell County     (The home county of Saint Clair)
  • Bland County
  • Buchanan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Peapatch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peapatch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Peapatch
      • From Saint Clair to Peapatch
    • Height
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Height. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
      • Height is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Height
      • From Saint Clair to Height
  • Giles County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Glen Lyn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Lyn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
      • Glen Lyn is located in Giles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glen Lyn
      • From Saint Clair to Glen Lyn
    • Shumate
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shumate. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
      • Shumate is located in Giles County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shumate
      • From Saint Clair to Shumate
    • Lurich
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lurich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
      • Lurich is located in Giles County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lurich
      • From Saint Clair to Lurich
    • Narrows
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narrows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
      • Narrows is located in Giles County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Narrows <1>
    • Rich Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Thessalia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Thessalia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thessalia
      • Thessalia is located in Giles County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Thessalia
      • From Saint Clair to Thessalia
  • Pulaski County
    • Sassin ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sassin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
      • Sassin is located in Pulaski County
  • Smyth County
  • Wythe County
  • Logan County (WV)
  • McDowell County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Anawalt
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anawalt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Elkhorn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kyle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kyle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kyle
      • From Saint Clair to Kyle
    • Northfork
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfork
      • Northfork is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northfork <1>
    • Thorpe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bishop
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bishop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bishop
      • From Saint Clair to Bishop
    • Keystone
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <1>
    • Gary
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Big Four
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kimball
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Newhall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Welch
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Mercer County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Yards
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Nemours
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Bluefield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Coopers
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bramwell
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Freeman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Flipping
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Flipping. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Flipping
      • From Saint Clair to Flipping
    • Bethel ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
    • Littlesburg
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Montcalm
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montcalm have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County (WV)
    • Edison
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • El Centro ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Centro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
      • El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
  • Monroe County (WV)
  • Raleigh County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rhodell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Eastgulf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Helen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Princewick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Slab Fork
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Stotesbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stotesbury. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
      • Stotesbury is located in Raleigh County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stotesbury
      • From Saint Clair to Stotesbury
  • Summers County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Clair, with the one closest to Saint Clair listed first.
    • Pipestem
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mercers Saltworks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
      • Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County (WV)
  • Wyoming County (WV)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Clair ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Clair.

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 Saint Clair covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Grandview Memory Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Memory Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Lukes Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Lukes Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Lukes Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maple Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Valley Vista Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Vista Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tabor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mullin Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mullin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mullin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Compton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Compton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Compton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tabor Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tabor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tabor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dudley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dudley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dudley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wagner Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wagner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wagner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Perdus Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perdus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perdus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wagner Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wagner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wagner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (455 more) ...
    • Wilburn Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilburn Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Billips Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Billips Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Billips Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Wagner Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wagner Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wagner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 in 1895, Saint Clair had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Falls Mills
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Bailey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County
  • Pocahontas
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Cove Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Creek
    • Cove Creek is located in Tazewell County
  • Abbs Valley ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abbs Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Abbs Valley is located in Mercer County (WV)
  • Springville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Springville is located in Tazewell County
  • Stowersville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stowersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stowersville
    • Stowersville is located in Bland County
  • Bluefield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Coopers
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Shawver Mill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Freeman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Bramwell
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Grapefield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grapefield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapefield
      • Grapefield is located in Bland County
    • Clear Fork
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
      • Clear Fork is located in Bland County
    • Flipping
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Flipping. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Flipping
      • From Saint Clair to Flipping

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

Newspapers Published in Saint Clair ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Clair.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Saint Clair, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Saint Clair.

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 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 Saint Clair:

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

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>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 Saint Clair, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Saint Clair) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Clair. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.2381, Longitude: -81.3200       In this case, the coordinates for Saint Clair have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025