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 Shady Grove (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 Shady Grove. 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 Shady Grove ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Shady Grove: Shady Grv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Shady Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Shady Grove.
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.
Shady Grove is located in Smyth 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 Smyth County: Bland, Grayson, Russell, Tazewell, Washington & Wythe.
Below are the counties that are near Shady Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Shady Grove:
- Smyth County (The home county of Shady Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Atkins
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mount Carmel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Marion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Adwolf
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Seven Mile Ford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Ellendale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Chilhowie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Broadford
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Bland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bastian
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Sheep Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Sheep Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
- Oak Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Oak Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Shorts Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
- Galax City
- Galax
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Trout Dale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Elk Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Rugby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bridle Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Whitetop
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fries
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Baywood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Asberrys
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Thompson Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Little Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Tazewell
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Shawver Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Maxwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Pisgah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Paintlick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Pounding Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Adria
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Claypool Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Steeleburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Loves Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Green Cove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Fleet
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Masada
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Friendship
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Glade Spring
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Lodi
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Damascus
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Clinchburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Drowning Ford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Lindell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Alvarado
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Alvarado is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Glenford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Speedwell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Crockett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rowe Crossroads
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Wytheville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Kent
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Ivanhoe
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Siloam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Austinville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Fort Chiswell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Max Meadows
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Alleghany County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Piney Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Topia
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Amelia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Scottville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sparta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sparta is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
- Laurel Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ennice
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Glade Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hooker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hooker is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Edmonds
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Helton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Sturgills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Weavers Ford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Brandon
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Crumpler
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lansing
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Comet
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Comet is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Warrensville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Grayson
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Grayson is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- Roten
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Roten is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
- Jefferson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Shingletown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Fuller
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Mountain City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- McDowell County (WV)
- Bishop
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Shady Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Shady Grove.
Cemeteries Near Shady Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shady Grove.
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 Shady Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Shady Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Ridgelawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Cress Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Nelson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Slemp Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Porter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Pierce Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Hutton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Scott Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Morgan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ross Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Kirk Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Pugh Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (611 more) ...
- Scott Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Old Parks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Marchant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>
While we didn't find Shady Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Shady Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Shady Grove, with the one closest to Shady Grove listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Atkins
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Trout Dale
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Groseclose
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Marion
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Grant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Grant is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Comers Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Comers Rock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comers Rock
- Summit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Rural Retreat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Adwolf
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Rugby
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Continue List (20 more) ...
- Elk Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Speedwell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Seven Mile Ford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Shady Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Shady Grove.
Newspapers Published in Shady Grove ...
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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shady Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shady Grove, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shady Grove.
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 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 Shady Grove:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Smyth County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Carroll County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Wythe County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Johnson County
- McDowell County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Shady Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Shady Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |