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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 Wittens Mills (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 Wittens Mills. 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 Wittens Mills ...

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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Wittens Mills: Wittens Mls. (or less commonly used: Wittens Mlls.)
  • While the name of this community is Wittens Mills, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Wittens Mills may originally have been Witten's Mills.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Wittens Mills might be written as Witten Mills.

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 hospitals and doctors 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.

Wittens Mills 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 Wittens Mills. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wittens Mills:

  • Tazewell County     (The home county of Wittens Mills)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wittens Mills, with the one closest to Wittens Mills listed first.
    • Five Oaks
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
    • Tazewell
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tazewell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tazewell <3>
    • Adria
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adria. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adria
      • From Wittens Mills to Adria
    • Shraders
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shraders
      • From Wittens Mills to Shraders
    • Abbs Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bishop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bishop
      • From Wittens Mills to Bishop
    • Pisgah
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Shawver Mill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Thompson Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Sayersville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sayersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
    • Little Town
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
      • Little Town is located in Tazewell County
    • Dunford Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunford Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County
  • Bland County
  • Buchanan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wittens Mills, with the one closest to Wittens Mills listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Peapatch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peapatch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Peapatch
      • From Wittens Mills to Peapatch
    • Height
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Height. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
      • Height is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Height
      • From Wittens Mills to Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Paynesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Matney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Matney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Matney
      • From Wittens Mills to Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Janey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Rowe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rowe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rowe
      • From Wittens Mills to Rowe
  • Russell County
  • Smyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wittens Mills, with the one closest to Wittens Mills listed first.
    • Ellendale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Broadford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Atkins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carmel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Marion
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Marion is located in Smyth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <3>
    • Cardwell Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardwell Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
    • Allison Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Saltville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Adwolf
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adwolf. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
      • Adwolf is located in Smyth County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Adwolf
      • From Wittens Mills to Adwolf
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Sugar Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sugar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
      • Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
    • Chilhowie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chilhowie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chilhowie
      • Chilhowie is located in Smyth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,698 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chilhowie <3>
  • Washington County
  • Wythe County
  • McDowell County (WV)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wittens Mills, with the one closest to Wittens Mills listed first.
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bishop. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bishop
      • From Wittens Mills to Bishop
    • Newhall
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Anawalt
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anawalt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Thorpe
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Gary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • War
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for War have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • War is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Elkhorn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Yukon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Kyle
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kyle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kyle
      • From Wittens Mills to Kyle
    • Big Four
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Keystone
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in McDowell County (WV)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <3>
    • Kimball
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Mercer County (WV)
  • Wyoming County (WV)

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

Cemeteries Near Wittens Mills ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wittens Mills.

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 Wittens Mills covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Mays Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peery Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Witten Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Witten Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Witten Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wilburn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilburn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilburn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Herts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Herts Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Herts Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bowen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Morton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Graham Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graham Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Watts Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stevens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stevens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stevens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Earls Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Earls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Earls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (605 more) ...
    • Bowman Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bowman Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bowman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Brown Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Billips Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Billips Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Billips Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<7>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Wittens Mills had a population of 42 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Five Oaks
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Five Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
    • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County
  • Gratton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gratton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
    • Gratton is located in Tazewell County
  • Springville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Springville is located in Tazewell County
  • Shraders
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • 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.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Shraders
    • From Wittens Mills to Shraders
  • Pisgah
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Bailey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bailey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County
  • Thompson Valley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Shawver Mill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sayersville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sayersville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County
  • Gap Store
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gap Store have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County
  • Maxwell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Burkes Garden
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burkes Garden have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkes Garden
    • Burkes Garden is located in Tazewell County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burkes Garden <3>
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Cove Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Creek
      • Cove Creek is located in Tazewell County
    • Saint Clair
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Gillespie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gillespie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
      • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County

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

Newspapers Published in Wittens Mills ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wittens Mills.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wittens Mills, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wittens Mills.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Wittens Mills:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wittens Mills. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wittens Mills) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wittens Mills. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1690, Longitude: -81.4805    
<6>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.
<7>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 Wittens Mills, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025