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 Raven (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 Raven. 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 Raven ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Raven: W. Raven
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 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.
West Raven is primarily located in Russell County. A portion of West Raven extends into Tazewell 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 Russell County: Buchanan, Dickenson, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington & Wise.
Below are the counties that are near West Raven. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Raven:
- Russell County (The home county of West Raven)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Dye
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Honaker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Russell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Barnett
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Elk Garden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Artrip
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Artrip is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artrip
- Lebanon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Spring City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Spring City is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring City
- Cleveland
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Jessees Mill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jessees Mill is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessees Mill
- Kiser ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kiser is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiser
- Carterton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Carterton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterton
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Rowe
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Rowe is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Mavisdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
- Council
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Council is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
- Bearwallow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Height
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Janey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Janey is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
- Peapatch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Leemaster
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leemaster is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
- Vansant
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jackson Flats
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Matney
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Matney is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Dickenson County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Bucu
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bucu is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
- Carrie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Carrie is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
- Aily
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Aily is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aily
- Haysi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Nora
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Nora is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nora
- Clinchco
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tarpon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Tarpon is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
- Herald
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Herald is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herald
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Allison Gap
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Saltville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Broadford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Ellendale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Chilhowie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Adwolf
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Marion
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Atkins
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Raven
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Raven is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Red Ash
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Red Ash is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
- Richlands
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cedar Bluff
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Steeleburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Claypool Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Paintlick
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Pounding Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Harman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Maxwell
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Dunford Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
- Sayersville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Clinchburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Lindell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Glade Spring
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Glenford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Fleet
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Brumley Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brumley Gap is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brumley Gap
- Lowland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Lowland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowland
- Holston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Holston is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holston
- Friendship
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Lodi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Loves Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Greendale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Greendale is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greendale
- Wise County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Saint Paul
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Virginia City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Virginia City is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
- Dwina
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dwina is located in Wise County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dwina
- Pike County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Paw Paw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
- Mouthcard
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
- Elkhorn City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fedscreek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Fedscreek is located in Pike County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedscreek
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Height
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Jackson Flats
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Bradshaw
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bishop
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Newhall
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- War
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Yukon
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Avondale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Avondale is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Union City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Union City is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
- Iaeger
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Iaeger is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
- Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Raven, see our County-by-County Page for West Raven.
Cemeteries Near West Raven ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Raven.
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 Raven - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Raven covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Thomas J. Horton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Ball Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hankins Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Clinch Valley Memorial Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Robinson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Richardson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Ray Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Green Hills Memorial Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hurt Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurt Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hurt Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> to the north of Raven.
- The Hurt Cemetery has also been known as:
- John Garland Hurt Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2436889 <2>
- White Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Settle Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Ferrell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (919 more) ...
- Stevenson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Sawyer Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Boyd Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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.<4>
While we didn't find West Raven in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Raven.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Raven, with the one closest to West Raven listed first.
- Doran
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Richlands
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Swords Creek
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clifton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Steeleburg
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Cedar Bluff
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Belfast
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Belfast is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
- Honaker
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pounding Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Rosedale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rosedale is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Pleasant Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Shack Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Shack Mills is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shack Mills
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Gillespie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Gillespie is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
- Harman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Bearwallow
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Raven. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Raven.
Newspapers Published in West Raven ...
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 West Raven.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Raven, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Raven.
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 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 Raven:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Russell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buchanan County
- Dickenson County
- Smyth County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Wise County
- Pike County
- McDowell 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> | 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. |
| <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 Raven) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Raven, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |