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 Smiths Paradise (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 Smiths Paradise. 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 Smiths Paradise ...
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.
While the name of this community is Smiths Paradise, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Smiths Paradise may originally have been Smith's Paradise.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Smiths Paradise might be written as Smith Paradise.
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.
Smiths Paradise is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Bedford, Floyd, Henry, Patrick, Pittsylvania & Roanoke.
Below are the counties that are near Smiths Paradise. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smiths Paradise:
- Franklin County (The home county of Smiths Paradise)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Union Hall
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Redwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- North Shore
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Westlake Corner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Penhook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Villa ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Burnt Chimney
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Laprades Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Rocky Mount
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Barfoot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Gogginsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Radford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Goodview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Moneta
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Chamblissburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Huddleston
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Joppa Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Montvale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Villamont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Villamont is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
- Lowry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lowry is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
- Peaksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Blue Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Laymantown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- 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)
- Daleville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Troutville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Amsterdam
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Leesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Altavista
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Simpsons
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Pizarro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Terrys Fork
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Oak Level
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Leatherwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Reed Creek Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Laurel Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Bassett
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Stanleytown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Collinsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Axton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Fieldale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chatmoss
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Irisburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Preston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Elliston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alleghany Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Alleghany Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany Springs
- Shawsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Patrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Dodson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Charity
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Charity is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Museville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Pittsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Worlds
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Grady
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Swansonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Gretna
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Weal
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Whittles
(20 miles [32.2 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
- Hurt
(23 miles [37 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>
- Chatham
(23 miles [37 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
- Sheva
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Sonans
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Tightsqueeze
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Tightsqueeze is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightsqueeze
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Garden City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Buena Vista
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Roanoke
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cave Spring
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Bent Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hanging Rock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Wabun
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Riverside
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Mason Cove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Sunset Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Salem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smiths Paradise, see our County-by-County Page for Smiths Paradise.
Cemeteries Near Smiths Paradise ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smiths Paradise.
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 Smiths Paradise - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smiths Paradise covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Holland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Housman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Lumsden Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Holland - Powell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Perdue Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Old Bethel Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Smith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Perdue Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Davis Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Blankenship Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Kesler Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bernard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Continue List (738 more) ...
- Brooks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Poindexter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
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 Smiths Paradise in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smiths Paradise.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smiths Paradise, with the one closest to Smiths Paradise listed first.
- Union Hall
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Gladehill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gladehill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladehill
- Scruggs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Scruggs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scruggs
- Dillons Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dillons Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillons Mill
- Redwood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Penhook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Villa ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Kasey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Kasey is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasey
- Rocky Mount
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Museville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Otter View ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Otter View is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter View
- Wyatt ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wyatt is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- Gogginsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smiths Paradise. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smiths Paradise.
Newspapers Published in Smiths Paradise ...
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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smiths Paradise.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smiths Paradise, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smiths Paradise.
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 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 Smiths Paradise:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford City
- Bedford County
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Floyd County
- Henry County
- Martinsville City
- Montgomery County
- Patrick County
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Smiths Paradise, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Smiths Paradise) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |