RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> Beartown >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Beartown (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 Beartown. 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 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.

Beartown is located in McDowell 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 McDowell County: Buchanan (VA), Tazewell (VA), Mercer, Mingo & Wyoming.

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

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Beartown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Avondale
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Bradshaw
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Union City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Union City is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
    • Iaeger
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Iaeger is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
    • Wilmore
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilmore is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
    • Jackson Flats
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Paynesville is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Roderfield
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Roderfield is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
    • Panther
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Panther is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
    • Height
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Height is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Peapatch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Peapatch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Yukon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Big Sandy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Sandy is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Wylo
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
    • Mallory
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Mallory is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
    • Man
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Man is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Man
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Man <1>
    • Mineral City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Mineral City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Kistler
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Kistler is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
    • Stirrat
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Stirrat is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirrat
    • Accoville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Accoville is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Accoville
    • Braeholm
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Braeholm is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeholm
    • Omar
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Switzer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Switzer is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Coaldale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Coopers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Bramwell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Nemours
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Yards
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Flipping
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Montcalm
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Weyanoke
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Gilbert Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Baisden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wharncliffe
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Pie
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pie is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pie
    • Thacker
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Thacker is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thacker
    • Musick
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Musick is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musick
    • Blackberry City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Blackberry City is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry City
    • Matewan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Jacket
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Red Jacket is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Jacket
    • Sprigg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Sprigg is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprigg
    • Delbarton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Stoneville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Cub City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Baileysville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Fanny
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Woosley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Sun Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
    • Uno
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Uno is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uno
    • Wyoming
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Clear Fork
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
    • Mullensville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Pineville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock View
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Turkey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Turkey is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey
  • Pike County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
    • Stopover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
    • Majestic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
    • Phelps
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Freeburn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Freeburn is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburn
    • Coleman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Calloway Branch
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Calloway Branch is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calloway Branch
    • Fedscreek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Fedscreek is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fedscreek
    • Ransom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ransom is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
    • Mouthcard
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
    • Buskirk
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Buskirk is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buskirk
    • McCarr
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lick Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Lick Creek is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lick Creek
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Jackson Flats
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Height
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Peapatch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Bearwallow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Matney
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Kelsa
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
    • Janey
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Mavisdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Grundy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Grundy is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy <1>
    • Royal City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
    • Vansant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Big Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Big Rock is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
  • Dickenson County (VA)
    • Haysi
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Haysi is located in Dickenson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haysi <1>
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Dye
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Honaker is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honaker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Honaker <1>
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Beartown, with the one closest to Beartown listed first.
    • Harman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
    • Dunford Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Sayersville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Red Ash
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Red Ash is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
    • Bishop
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Cedar Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Raven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Raven is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
    • Richlands
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Adria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Abbs Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Maxwell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Claypool Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill

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

Cemeteries Near Beartown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Beartown.

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

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

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

  • Collins Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Rowe Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Reed Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Roberts Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Powell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Rowe Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Vance Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Woods Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Collins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Atwell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Riffe Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Blevins Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (582 more) ...
    • Kelly Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Brant Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Candy Cemetery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)

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 Beartown in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Beartown.

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

  • Bradshaw
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Iaeger
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Iaeger is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
  • Bearwallow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Hanover
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hanover is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
  • North Spring
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • North Spring is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Spring
  • Pleasant Hill
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Lincoln
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Lincoln is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lincoln
  • Shack Mills
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Shack Mills is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shack Mills
  • Baileysville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
  • Harman
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
  • Paw Paw
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
  • Grundy
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Grundy is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 883 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy <1>
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...
    • Sayersville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Sun Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
    • Gap Store
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store

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

Newspapers Published in Beartown ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Beartown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Beartown, 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 Beartown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Beartown:

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 Beartown, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Beartown) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.