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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 Spec (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 Spec. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and 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.

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

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

  • Botetourt County     (The home county of Spec)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Lithia
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lithia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
      • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
    • Botetourt ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Botetourt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
      • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
    • Blue Ridge
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
      • Blue Ridge is located in Botetourt County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Ridge <3>
    • Springwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
      • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
    • Fincastle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Troutville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Buchanan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Laymantown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laymantown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
      • Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
    • Daleville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Apple Tree Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Tree Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
      • Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
    • Cloverdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Salisbury
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salisbury
      • Salisbury is located in Botetourt County
    • Runaway Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Runaway Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
      • Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Rich Patch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
      • Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County
    • Iron Gate
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron Gate have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Gate
      • Iron Gate is located in Alleghany County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Low Moor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Selma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County
    • Clifton Forge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Griffith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Griffith. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffith
      • Griffith is located in Alleghany County
    • Moss Run
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
      • Moss Run is located in Alleghany County
  • Amherst County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Pedlar Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pedlar Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pedlar Mills
      • Pedlar Mills is located in Amherst County
    • Pleasant View
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pleasant View. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
      • Pleasant View is located in Amherst County
  • Bedford City
    • Bedford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Villamont
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
      • Villamont is located in Bedford County
    • Montvale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Coonsville ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coonsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
      • Coonsville is located in Bedford County
    • Peaksville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peaksville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
      • Peaksville is located in Bedford County
    • Chamblissburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chamblissburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
      • Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
    • Goodview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Joppa Mill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
      • Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
    • Clevilas ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clevilas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
      • Clevilas is located in Bedford County
    • Lowry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
      • Lowry is located in Bedford County
    • Cifax
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cifax. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cifax
      • Cifax is located in Bedford County
    • Davis Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
      • Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
    • Moneta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Goode
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Buena Vista City
    • Buena Vista
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Buena Vista City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,402 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Bedford Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bedford Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
      • Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
    • Powhatan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
      • Powhatan is located in Campbell County
    • Timberlake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
  • Covington City
    • Covington
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Covington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Covington
      • Covington is located in Covington City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,639 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Covington <3>
  • Craig County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • New Castle
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Abbott
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
      • Abbott is located in Craig County
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
    • Westlake Corner
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
    • Burnt Chimney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
      • Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
    • Boones Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • North Shore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
      • North Shore is located in Franklin County
    • Felicia ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felicia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
      • Felicia is located in Franklin County
    • Villa ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
      • Villa is located in Franklin County
    • Gogginsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gogginsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
      • Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
    • Redwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
      • Redwood is located in Franklin County
    • Union Hall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hall
      • Union Hall is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Hall <3>
  • Lexington City
    • Lexington
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Lynchburg City
    • Woodbine Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine Village
      • Woodbine Village is located in Lynchburg City
  • Montgomery County
  • Roanoke City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Buena Vista
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
    • Roanoke
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Garden City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
      • Garden City is located in Roanoke City
  • Roanoke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Hollins
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hollins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollins
      • Hollins is located in Roanoke County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hollins <3>
    • Vinton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Montgomery Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montgomery Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
      • Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
    • Hanging Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
      • Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
    • Mason Cove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
      • Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
    • Cave Spring
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
      • Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
    • Moomaw ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moomaw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
      • Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
    • Wabun
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
      • Wabun is located in Roanoke County
    • Bent Mountain
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Rockbridge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Natural Bridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Natural Bridge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natural Bridge
      • Natural Bridge is located in Rockbridge County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Natural Bridge <3>
    • Red Mills
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Red Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mills
      • Red Mills is located in Rockbridge County
    • Greenlee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenlee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
      • Greenlee is located in Rockbridge County
    • Longwood ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Rockbridge County
    • Fancy Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fancy Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy Hill
      • Fancy Hill is located in Rockbridge County
    • Glasgow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo Forge
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buffalo Forge. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Forge
      • Buffalo Forge is located in Rockbridge County
    • Zollman ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zollman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zollman
      • Zollman is located in Rockbridge County
    • East Lexington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lexington
      • East Lexington is located in Rockbridge County
  • Salem City
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spec, with the one closest to Spec listed first.
    • Sunset Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
      • Sunset Village is located in Salem City
    • Salem
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salem have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Salem is located in Salem City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,340 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Spec ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spec.

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

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

  • Thompson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #52418 <4>
  • Simmons Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simmons Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simmons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Booze Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Booze Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Booze Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Linkenhoker Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Linkenhoker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Linkenhoker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shafer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shafer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shafer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Troutville Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • St. Clair Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Clair Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Clair Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Blue Ridge Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blue Ridge Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blue Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lawhorn Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lawhorn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lawhorn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Giles Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Giles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Giles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Houseman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Houseman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Houseman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Copps Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Copps Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Copps Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Copps Cemetery is located in Springwood.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1960145 <4>
  • Continue List   (445 more) ...
    • Godwin Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Godwin Cemetery
      • The Godwin Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Slicer Cemetery
    • Churchill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Churchill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Churchill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Laymantown Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laymantown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laymantown 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.<5>

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

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

  • Lithia
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lithia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
    • Lithia is located in Botetourt County
  • Nace
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nace
    • Nace is located in Botetourt County
  • Botetourt ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Botetourt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
    • Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
  • Blue Ridge
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Ridge
    • Blue Ridge is located in Botetourt County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blue Ridge <3>
  • Montvale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Troutville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Springwood
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springwood
    • Springwood is located in Botetourt County
  • Fincastle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Amsterdam
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Amsterdam have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
    • Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
  • Reba
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reba have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reba
    • Reba is located in Bedford County
  • Buchanan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Daleville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Cloverdale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Coyner Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coyner Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coyner Springs
      • Coyner Springs is located in Botetourt County
    • Munford
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Munford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Munford
      • Munford is located in Botetourt County

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

Newspapers Published in Spec ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spec.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spec, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spec.

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 Spec:

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

The official website for Botetourt County: www.co.botetourt.va.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Spec, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Spec) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spec. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4546, Longitude: -79.7714       In this case, the coordinates for Spec have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025