Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Villa. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Villa to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Villa, please Contact Us.
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 Villa (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 Villa. 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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Villa is historic, it would have been located within present day Franklin County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Franklin County: Bedford, Floyd, Henry, Patrick, Pittsylvania & Roanoke.
Below are the counties that are near Villa. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Villa:
- Franklin County (The home county of Villa)
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Redwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Burnt Chimney
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
- Rocky Mount
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Gogginsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Barfoot
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Union Hall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Westlake Corner
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
- Boones Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hickman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hickman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- North Shore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Bedford City
- Bedford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bedford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Goodview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Radford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Clevilas ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Clevilas is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
- Moneta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chamblissburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
- Davis Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
- Coonsville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Coonsville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coonsville
- Joppa Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
- Huddleston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Montvale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Villamont
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Villamont is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villamont
- Peaksville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Peaksville is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaksville
- Botetourt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Apple Tree Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Cloverdale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Laymantown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Runaway Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Blue Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Daleville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Troutville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Amsterdam
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Haymakertown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Lithia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lithia is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lithia
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Fincastle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Campbell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Leesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Lynch Station
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
- Altavista
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Craig County
- Abbott
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Abbott is located in Craig County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Simpsons
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Pizarro
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Terrys Fork
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Haycock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Poff
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Poff is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poff
- Floyd
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sowers
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sowers is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Oak Level
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Reed Creek Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Leatherwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Stanleytown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bassett
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Collinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fieldale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Villa Heights
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Chatmoss
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Axton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Preston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Elliston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Alleghany Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Alleghany Springs is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alleghany Springs
- Shawsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Montgomery
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Houchins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Pilot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Old Farm Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Old Farm Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Farm Village
- Raintree Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Raintree Village is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raintree Village
- Rogers
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Rogers is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
- Patrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Dodson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Charity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Charity is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Elamsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Woolwine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pittsylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Museville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Worlds
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Pittsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Grady
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Swansonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Weal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Gretna
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Whittles
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
- Whittles has also been known as:
- Whittle's Depot
- Whittle's Station
- Chatham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Hurt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hurt is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,211 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hurt <2>
- Sonans
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
- Sheva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
- Roanoke City
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Garden City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Buena Vista
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Roanoke
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Roanoke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Montgomery Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Montgomery Village is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Village
- Vinton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Cave Spring
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Bent Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Hollins
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wabun
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Hanging Rock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Riverside
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Mason Cove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Catawba
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Salem City
- The following are listed by their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Sunset Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Salem
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Villa, see our County-by-County Page for Villa.
Cemeteries Near Villa ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Villa.
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 Villa - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Villa covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Flint Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hurt Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Altice Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Thurman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Perdue Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Thurman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Thurman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dent Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Perdue Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Johnson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Crook Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Chambers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Continue List (739 more) ...
- Wood Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- McNiel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
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.
Villa itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 23 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Villa, with the one closest to Villa listed first.
- Redwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Dillons Mill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Dillons Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillons Mill
- Gogginsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gogginsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gogginsville
- Rocky Mount
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Gladehill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gladehill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladehill
- Wyatt ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Wyatt is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- Hickman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hickman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickman
- Union Hall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Boones Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Scruggs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Scruggs is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scruggs
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Hardy Ford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hardy Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardy Ford
- Leslie
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Leslie is located in Roanoke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leslie
- Sydnorsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Villa. See our List of 1890's Communities around Villa.
Newspapers Published in Villa ...
An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.
Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Villa.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Villa, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Villa.
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 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 Villa:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford City
- Bedford County
- Botetourt County
- Campbell County
- Craig County
- Floyd County
- Henry County
- Martinsville City
- Montgomery County
- Patrick County
- Pittsylvania County
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Villa, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <3> | 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- Villa) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |