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 West Fork (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 West Fork. 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 West Fork ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Fork: W. Fork
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Fork. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Fork.
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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
West Fork is located in Pittsylvania 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 Pittsylvania County: Caswell (NC), Rockingham (NC), Bedford, Campbell, Franklin, Halifax & Henry.
Below are the counties that are near West Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Fork:
- Pittsylvania County (The home county of West Fork)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Cascade
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
- Mount Cross
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Swansonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Grady
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Ridgecrest
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ridgecrest is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Worlds
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Weal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Tightsqueeze
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tightsqueeze is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightsqueeze
- Kentuck
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kentuck is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Chatham
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Museville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Spring Garden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Garden is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Transco Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Transco Village is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transco Village
- Danville City
- Danville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Laprades Mill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Sydnorsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
- Penhook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Henry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Union Hall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Prilliman
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Prilliman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prilliman
- Redwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Barfoot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Ferrum
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rocky Mount
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Sutherlin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sutherlin is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
- Delila
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Delila is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delila
- Elmo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Elmo is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Axton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Sandy Level
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Level
- Irisburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Laurel Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Leatherwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Chatmoss
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Ridgeway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Villa Heights
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Collinsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Fieldale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Horse Pasture
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Reed Creek Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Preston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Madison County
- Beaver Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Beaver Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Park
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Patrick County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Stella
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Stella is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Critz
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Nettleridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Dodson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Caswell County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Pelham
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pelham is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Whitetown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Whitetown is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
- Gatewood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gatewood is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
- Bethel
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bethel is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Providence
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Quick
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Quick is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
- Blanch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Hill is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- West Yanceyville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Yanceyville is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yanceyville
- Ashland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ashland is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Yanceyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Estelle
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Estelle is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Milton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Guilford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Browns Summit
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Scalesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Scalesville is located in Guilford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalesville
- Rockingham County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Draper ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Draper is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
- Meadow Summit
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Meadow Summit is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Summit
- Eden
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Eden is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,867 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <1>
- Spray ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spray is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spray
- Fairview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Ruffin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- College Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- College Village is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
- Matrimony
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Providence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Lawsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Lawsonville is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Wentworth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Wentworth is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,734 people
- Shiloh
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shiloh is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Stoneville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Stokes County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Amostown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Amostown is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amostown
- Sandy Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Oak Ridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Oak Ridge is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Fork, see our County-by-County Page for West Fork.
Cemeteries Near West Fork ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Fork.
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 West Fork - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Fork covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Soyar Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Berry Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Scearce Gammon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Starling Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Moss Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Meadow View UMC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Dan View Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Happy Home Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Mayfield MB Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory Grove UMC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (510 more) ...
- Danville Memorial Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Overlook Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Slaydon Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<2>
While we didn't find West Fork in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Fork.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Fork, with the one closest to West Fork listed first.
- Brosville
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Brosville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brosville
- Aiken Summit
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Aiken Summit is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aiken Summit
- Cascade
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
- Vance
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Vance is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Oak Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Oak Hill is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Bachelors Hall
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bachelors Hall is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachelors Hall
- Axton
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Buford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Buford is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buford
- Stockton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stockton is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
- Sandy River
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Sandy River is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy River
- Vandola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Vandola is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandola
- Mount Cross
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Irisburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Mayfield
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mayfield is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Whitmell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Whitmell is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitmell
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Fork. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Fork.
Newspapers Published in West Fork ...
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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Fork.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Fork, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Fork.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 West Fork:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Pittsylvania County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Danville City
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Henry County
- Madison County
- Martinsville City
- Patrick County
- Caswell County
- Guilford County
- Rockingham County
- Stokes County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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> | 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 West Fork, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- West Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |