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 Willard (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 Willard. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.
Willard is located in Wythe 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 Wythe County: Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Pulaski & Smyth.
Below are the counties that are near Willard. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willard:
- Wythe County (The home county of Willard)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Crockett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Rowe Crossroads
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Speedwell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Kent
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Kent is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kent
- Siloam
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Siloam is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
- Fort Chiswell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
- Ivanhoe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Max Meadows
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Austinville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Locust Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Locust Hill is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Bland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Bland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bastian
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hicksville is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
- Rocky Gap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Gap is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
- Mechanicsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
- Round Bottom
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Round Bottom is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Sheep Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Sheep Town is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
- Oak Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Grove is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Shorts Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
- Sylvatus
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sylvatus is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylvatus
- Woodlawn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Galax City
- Galax
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Flat Ridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Elk Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Trout Dale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bridle Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fries
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Rugby
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Baywood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Whitetop
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Pulaski
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hilton Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Hilton Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Smyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Atkins
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Carmel
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Sugar Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Marion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ellendale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Adwolf
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Seven Mile Ford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Broadford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Chilhowie
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Saltville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Little Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Little Town is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Asberrys
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Shawver Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Shawver Mill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawver Mill
- Thompson Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Five Oaks
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
- Tazewell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Springville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Springville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
- Wittens Mills
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
- Pisgah
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Saint Clair
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
- Adria
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Adria is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
- Maxwell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Loves Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Fleet
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Friendship
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Glade Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Green Cove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Masada
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Clinchburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Lodi
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Alleghany County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Piney Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Amelia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Topia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Scottville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sparta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sparta is located in Alleghany County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
- Ennice
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Helton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Sturgills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Crumpler
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Brandon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Bishop
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Anawalt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
- Newhall
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- Mercer County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Bluefield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bethel ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Yards
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Yards is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
- Nemours
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Bramwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coopers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Coopers is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
- Edison
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Edison is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edison
- El Centro ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- El Centro is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
- Freeman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Freeman is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
- Littlesburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Littlesburg is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
- Flipping
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Flipping is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
- Blake ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Blake is located in Mercer County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willard, see our County-by-County Page for Willard.
Cemeteries Near Willard ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willard.
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 Willard - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willard covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Kimberling Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rosewood Memorial Park
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Buchanan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Floglesong Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Murpheyville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Steffey Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Steffy Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Earhart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Davis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sprinkle Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (629 more) ...
- Fairview Methodist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Scott Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Tilson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
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 Willard in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willard.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willard, with the one closest to Willard listed first.
- Summit
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Summit is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
- Rural Retreat
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Groseclose
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Groseclose is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Groseclose
- Crockett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Atkins
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ceres
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Ceres is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceres
- Grubb
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Grubb is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubb
- Petunia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Petunia is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petunia
- Effna
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Effna is located in Bland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effna
- Speedwell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Sugar Grove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Wytheville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Burkes Garden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Comers Rock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Comers Rock is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comers Rock
- Chatham Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Chatham Hill is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willard. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willard.
Newspapers Published in Willard ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willard.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willard, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willard.
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 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 Willard:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Wythe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bland County
- Carroll County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Pulaski County
- Smyth County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- McDowell County
- Mercer 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Willard) 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 Willard, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |