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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 Speedwell (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 Speedwell. 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 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.

Speedwell is located in Wythe 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 Wythe County: Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Pulaski & Smyth.

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

  • Wythe County     (The home county of Speedwell)
  • Bland County
  • Carroll County
  • Galax City
  • Grayson County
  • Pulaski County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Draper
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Pulaski
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hilton Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilton Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
      • Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
    • Mack Creek Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mack Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
      • Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
    • Wurno
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wurno. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wurno
      • Wurno is located in Pulaski County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wurno
      • From Speedwell to Wurno
  • Smyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Sugar Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
    • Atkins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Mount Carmel
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Marion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Smyth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Adwolf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adwolf. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
      • Adwolf is located in Smyth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adwolf
      • From Speedwell to Adwolf
    • Ellendale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ellendale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ellendale
      • From Speedwell to Ellendale
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Broadford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Chilhowie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilhowie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilhowie
      • Chilhowie is located in Smyth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chilhowie <1>
  • Tazewell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Little Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
      • Little Town is located in Tazewell County
    • Asberrys
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Asberrys. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
      • Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Asberrys
      • From Speedwell to Asberrys
    • Shawver Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Thompson Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Five Oaks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
    • Tazewell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tazewell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tazewell <1>
    • Wittens Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Bluefield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Saint Clair
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Pisgah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Loves Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loves Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
      • Loves Mill is located in Washington County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Loves Mill
      • From Speedwell to Loves Mill
    • Green Cove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Alleghany County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Amelia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Piney Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Ennice
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennice have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennice
      • Ennice is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennice <1>
    • Sparta
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sparta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
    • Edmonds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edmonds. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edmonds
      • From Speedwell to Edmonds
    • Topia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Hooker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Glade Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glade Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade Valley
      • Glade Valley is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glade Valley <1>
    • Scottville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottville
      • Scottville is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottville <1>
    • Laurel Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Springs
      • Laurel Springs is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel Springs <1>
    • Roaring Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Gap
      • Roaring Gap is located in Alleghany County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roaring Gap <1>
  • Ashe County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Speedwell, with the one closest to Speedwell listed first.
    • Grassy Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grassy Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
      • Grassy Creek is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grassy Creek <1>
    • Weavers Ford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Crumpler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crumpler have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crumpler
      • Crumpler is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crumpler <1>
    • Helton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sturgills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sturgills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
      • Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sturgills
      • From Speedwell to Sturgills
    • Brandon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brandon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
      • Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Brandon
      • From Speedwell to Brandon
    • Lansing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Transou
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Transou. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
      • Transou is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Transou
      • From Speedwell to Transou
    • Wagoner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wagoner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
      • Wagoner is located in Ashe County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wagoner
      • From Speedwell to Wagoner
    • Apple Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Surry County (NC)

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

Cemeteries Near Speedwell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Speedwell.

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Speedwell had a population of 101 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Crockett
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Cripple Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cripple Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cripple Creek
    • Cripple Creek is located in Wythe County
  • Comers Rock
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Comers Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comers Rock
    • Comers Rock is located in Grayson County
  • Elk Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Fallville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fallville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallville
    • Fallville is located in Grayson County
  • Grubb
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grubb have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubb
    • Grubb is located in Wythe County
  • Rural Retreat
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Spring Valley
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Valley
    • Spring Valley is located in Grayson County
  • Summit
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Summit have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
    • Summit is located in Wythe County
  • Petunia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Petunia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petunia
    • Petunia is located in Wythe County
  • Wytheville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Groseclose
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Groseclose have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
    • Groseclose is located in Smyth County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Carsonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsonville
      • Carsonville is located in Grayson County
    • Stevens Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stevens Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevens Creek
      • Stevens Creek is located in Carroll County
    • Ivanhoe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Speedwell ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Speedwell.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Speedwell. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Speedwell and those printed in the larger area surrounding Speedwell.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5> of Speedwell.

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 Speedwell:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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.
<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>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- Speedwell) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Speedwell. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8152, Longitude: -81.1747    
<6>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 Speedwell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025