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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 Alpena (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 Alpena. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Alpena is located in Randolph County.

To see how the shape of West 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 Randolph County: Barbour, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker, Upshur & Webster.

Below are the counties that are near Alpena. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Alpena:

  • Randolph County     (The home county of Alpena)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Evenwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Evenwood is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evenwood
    • Wymer
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Wymer is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wymer
    • Harman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Harperton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Harperton is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperton
    • Dryfork
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Pettit ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Pettit is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettit
    • Whitmer
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Whitmer is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitmer
    • Canfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Canfield is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
    • Elkins
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Gilman
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilman is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
    • Whyte
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Whyte is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whyte
    • Leadsville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Leadsville is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadsville
  • Barbour County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Junior
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Junior is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junior
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
    • Belington
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Huffman ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Huffman is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
    • Wilmoth ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilmoth is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmoth
    • Valley Bend
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Calhoun
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Calhoun is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
    • Clements ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Clements is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
    • Kalamazoo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Kalamazoo is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
    • Vannoys Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Vannoys Mill is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannoys Mill
    • Valley Furnace
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Valley Furnace is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Furnace
    • Kasson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Kasson is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
    • Audra
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Audra is located in Barbour County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audra
  • Grant County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Hopeville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Hopeville is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeville
    • Pansy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Pansy is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
    • Dobbin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Dobbin is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
    • Seemly ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Seemly is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seemly
    • Wilson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilson is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Petersburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Dorcas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Dorcas is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
    • Bayard
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayard is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
    • Maysville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Maysville is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
    • Arthur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Arthur is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
    • Seymourville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Seymourville is located in Grant County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymourville
  • Pendleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Onego
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Onego is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onego
    • Macksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Macksville is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksville
    • Circleville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Ketterman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Ketterman is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
    • Dry Run
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Dry Run is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Run
    • Brushy Run
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
    • Ruddle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruddle is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruddle
    • Kline
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Kline is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
    • Zigler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Zigler is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zigler
    • Franklin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Harper
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Harper is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
    • Fort Seybert
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fort Seybert is located in Pendleton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Seybert
  • Pocahontas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Wildell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Wildell is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildell
    • Thornwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Thornwood is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornwood
    • Durbin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Frank
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Frank is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frank
  • Preston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Sell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Sell is located in Preston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sell
    • Horse Shoe Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Horse Shoe Run is located in Preston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Shoe Run
    • Macomber
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Macomber is located in Preston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomber
    • Aurora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Carmel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Carmel is located in Preston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel
    • Rowlesburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Taylor County
    • Sandy ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandy is located in Taylor County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
  • Tucker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Gladwin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Gladwin is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
    • Elk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Elk is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Pleasant Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Run is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
    • Hambleton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Hambleton is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hambleton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
    • Hendricks
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Hendricks is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
    • Porterwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Porterwood is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterwood
    • Parsons
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Canaan Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Coketon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Coketon is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
    • Davis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomas
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Pierce
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Pierce is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Gormley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Gormley is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gormley
    • Swamp Run
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Swamp Run is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swamp Run
    • Sand Run
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Sand Run is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Run
    • Excelsior
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Excelsior is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
    • Queens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Queens is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queens
    • Overhill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Overhill is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overhill
    • Tallmansville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Beans Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
    • Reger
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Reger is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reger
    • Sellers ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Sellers is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
    • Tenmile
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Tenmile is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile
    • Teter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Teter is located in Upshur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teter
  • Garrett County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.
    • Wilson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
    • Red House
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Red House is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red House
    • Fort Pendleton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton

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

Cemeteries Near Alpena ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alpena.

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 Alpena - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Alpena covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Kerns Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Laurel Hill Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Teter Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Flanagan Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Coffman Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Little Arlington Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Arlington Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Little Arlington Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Leadsville.
    • The Little Arlington Cemetery has also been known as:
    • American Legion Little Arlington Cemetery
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • St. Brendens Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for IOOF Cemetery
    • The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Elkins Memorial Gardens
    • Odd Fellows Cemetery
  • Flanagan Memorial Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Fansler Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (109 more) ...

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Alpena 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 Alpena, with the one closest to Alpena listed first.

  • Faulkner
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Faulkner is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faulkner
  • Job
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Job is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Job
  • Glady
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Pettit ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pettit is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettit
  • Dryfork
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Pleasant Run
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant Run is located in Tucker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
  • Elkins
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Hendricks
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Hendricks is located in Tucker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
  • Kerens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Kerens is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerens
  • Whyte
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Whyte is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whyte
  • Gilman
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilman is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
  • Leadsville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Leadsville is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadsville
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Beverly
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bretz
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Bretz is located in Tucker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bretz
    • Parsons
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Alpena ...

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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alpena.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alpena, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alpena.

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 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 Alpena:

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>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 Alpena, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Alpena) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.