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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 Thompson Valley (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 Thompson Valley. 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 Thompson Valley ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Thompson Valley: Thompson Vly. (or less commonly used: Thompson Vally. or Thompson Vlly.)

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell 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 Tazewell County: Bland, Buchanan, Russell, Smyth, McDowell (WV) & Mercer (WV).

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

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

Cemeteries Near Thompson Valley ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thompson Valley.

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

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

  • Crabtree Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crabtree Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crabtree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buchanan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buchanan Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buchanan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maplewood Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maplewood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hezekiah Harman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Necessary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Necessary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Necessary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thompson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Watts Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Watts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Watts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peery Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peery Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peery Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Caldwell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Caldwell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Caldwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mays Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mays Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mays Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (710 more) ...
    • Ratcliff Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ratcliff Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ratcliff Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Keister Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keister Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keister Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mitchell Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thompson Valley had a population of 27 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Pisgah
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Asberrys
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • 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 Thompson Valley to Asberrys
  • Maxwell
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Five Oaks
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
  • Gap Store
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gap Store have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County
  • Gillespie
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillespie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
    • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
  • Wittens Mills
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Tannersville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tannersville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannersville
    • Tannersville is located in Tazewell County
  • Chatham Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Hill
    • Chatham Hill is located in Smyth County
  • Sayersville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sayersville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
  • Gratton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gratton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
    • Gratton is located in Tazewell County
  • Shraders
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shraders. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Shraders
    • From Thompson Valley to Shraders
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Thompson Valley ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thompson Valley.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thompson Valley, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thompson Valley.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Thompson Valley:

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>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 Thompson Valley, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Thompson Valley) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thompson Valley. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.0787, Longitude: -81.5483       In this case, the coordinates for Thompson Valley have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).