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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 Solitude (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 Solitude. 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.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Solitude is located in Botetourt 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 Botetourt County: Alleghany, Bedford, Craig, Roanoke & Rockbridge.

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

  • Botetourt County     (The home county of Solitude)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Rocky Point
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
    • Buchanan
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Springwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
    • Salt Petre Cave
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Salt Petre Cave is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Petre Cave
      • Salt Petre Cave has also been known as:
      • Salt Peter Cave
      • Saltpetre
    • Lithia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
    • Salisbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Salisbury is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
    • Botetourt ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
    • Gala
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Gala is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gala
    • Fincastle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Haden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Haden is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
    • Blue Ridge
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Glen Wilton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Glen Wilton is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Wilton
    • Strom
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Strom is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Iron Gate
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Rich Patch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
    • Griffith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Griffith is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
    • Clifton Forge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Low Moor
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Selma
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
  • Amherst County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Pedlar Mills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
    • Pleasant View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Allwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Allwood is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allwood
    • Forks of Buffalo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Forks of Buffalo is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forks of Buffalo
    • Winesap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Winesap is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winesap
    • Alto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Alto is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alto
    • Sandidges
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Sandidges is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandidges
    • Madison Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Coolwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Coolwell is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coolwell
    • Monitor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Monitor is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monitor
    • Sweet Briar Station
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Sweet Briar Station is located in Amherst County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Briar Station
    • Amherst
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Bath County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Millboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Carloover
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Carloover is located in Bath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carloover
    • Healing Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Healing Springs is located in Bath County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
  • Bedford City
    • Bedford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Peaksville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Peaksville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
    • Waugh
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Waugh is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waugh
    • Montvale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Villamont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Villamont is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
    • Cifax
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cifax is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
    • Coleman Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Coleman Falls is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman Falls
    • Lowry
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Lowry is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
    • Coonsville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Coonsville is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
    • Goode
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Bellevue
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bellevue is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellevue
    • Abert
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Abert is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abert
    • Boonsboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Boonsboro is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boonsboro
    • Joppa Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
  • Buena Vista City
    • Buena Vista
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Bedford Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
    • Powhatan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Powhatan is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
    • Timberlake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
    • Lawyers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
  • Covington City
    • Covington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Craig County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • New Castle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Abbott
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Abbott is located in Craig County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
    • Westlake Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
  • Lexington City
    • Lexington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lynchburg City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Woodbine Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
    • Lavino Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lavino Village is located in Lynchburg City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavino Village
    • Lynchburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Roanoke City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Buena Vista
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Roanoke
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Garden City is located in Roanoke City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
  • Roanoke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Hollins
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Montgomery Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
    • Vinton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Hanging Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
    • Mason Cove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
    • Catawba
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Rockbridge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Springfield
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Springfield is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • Natural Bridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Mills
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
    • Greenlee
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
    • Longwood ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Fancy Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fancy Hill is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Hill
    • Glasgow
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo Forge
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
    • Zollman ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Zollman is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zollman
    • East Lexington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • East Lexington is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lexington
    • Kerrs Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Kerrs Creek is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerrs Creek
    • Riverside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Riverside is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Fairfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairfield is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
  • Salem City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Solitude, with the one closest to Solitude listed first.
    • Sunset Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sunset Village is located in Salem City
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
    • Salem
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Solitude ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Solitude.

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 Solitude - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Solitude covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Robinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Bryant Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Ponton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Watson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • High Bridge Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Natural Bridge Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Tolley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Rapps Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Diamond Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mays Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (287 more) ...
    • Shafer Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Mountain Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Rudisill Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

While we didn't find Solitude in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Solitude.

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

  • Arcadia
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Arcadia is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Rocky Point
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Rocky Point is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Point
  • Alpine
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Alpine is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
  • Dillon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Dillon is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
  • Munford
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Munford is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munford
  • Buchanan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Gilmore Mills
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Gilmore Mills is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore Mills
  • Natural Bridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rapps Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Rapps Mill is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapps Mill
  • Springwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
  • Longwood ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
  • Salt Petre Cave
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Salt Petre Cave is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Petre Cave
    • Salt Petre Cave has also been known as:
    • Salt Peter Cave
    • Saltpetre
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lithia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
    • Curtis
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Curtis is located in Bedford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Curtis
    • Balcony Falls
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Balcony Falls is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balcony Falls

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

Newspapers Published in Solitude ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Solitude.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Solitude, 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 Solitude.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Solitude:

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 '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- Solitude) 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 Solitude, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.