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 Belfont (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 Belfont. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Belfont is located in Braxton 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 Braxton County: Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Belfont. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Belfont:
- Braxton County (The home county of Belfont)
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Wilsie
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Progress ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Chapel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Frametown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Rockton
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Gassaway
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Clem
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Exchange
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Elmira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Lloydsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Sutton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Losie ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Stinson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Mudfork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Orma
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Russet
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Staten
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Arnoldsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Oka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Beech
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Grantsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Hur
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Lydia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Ira
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Harrison
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Wattsville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Dink
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Gould
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Widen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Widen is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
- Spread
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Valley Fork
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Clay
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhurst
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Hartland
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Procious
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Doddridge County
- Saint Clara
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Shock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Cedarville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Normantown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Stumptown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Glenville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sand Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Stouts Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- De Kalb
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Truebada
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Baldwin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Alice
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Troy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Newberne
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Newberne is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberne
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Wellford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Clendenin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Duffy
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Vadis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Alum Bridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Crawford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Hurst
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hurst is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
- Camden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Alkires Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Cox Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Birch River
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Tioga
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Muddlety
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Beaver
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Beaver is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Craigsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Summersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Zela
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Burnt House
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Lawford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Auburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Auburn is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Smithville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Smithville is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Berea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Berea is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Slab
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Slab is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Pigeon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Roxalana
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Graux
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Looneyville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Kester ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Rushville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Triplett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Triplett is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Spencer
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Millard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Millard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
- Walton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Kanawha Head
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Rock Cave
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Wilsontown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Frenchton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Goshen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Erbacon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Replete
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Big Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Halo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Cleveland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hacker Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cowen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orndoff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
- Welch Glade
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Welch Glade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
- Camden-on-Gauley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Camden-on-Gauley is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden-on-Gauley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Excelsior
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Upperglade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
- Addison
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Wirt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Creston
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Creston is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
- Burning Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Burning Springs is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burning Springs
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Belfont, see our County-by-County Page for Belfont.
Cemeteries Near Belfont ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Belfont.
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 Belfont - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Belfont covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Boone Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Carr Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Starkey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Houston - Carr Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Dickey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- James Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Frame Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Stumble Run Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fairview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Fairview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sugar Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Creek Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sugar Creek Cemetery is located between<2> the communities of Frametown and Gassaway. The cemetery lies less than 2 miles<3> to the southwest of Gassaway.
- Bourn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (481 more) ...
- Keener Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Otter Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Engel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
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 Belfont in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Belfont.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Belfont, with the one closest to Belfont listed first.
- Home
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Home is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Progress ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Frametown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Chapel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Rosedale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rosedale is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosedale
- Little Otter
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Little Otter is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Otter
- German ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- German is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German
- Elmira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Bennett ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Bennett is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennett
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Hope ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Hope is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Sutton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lloydsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Cutlips
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Cutlips is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutlips
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Belfont. See our List of 1890's Communities around Belfont.
Newspapers Published in Belfont ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Belfont.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Belfont, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Belfont.
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 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 Belfont:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Braxton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Kanawha County
- Lewis County
- Nicholas County
- Ritchie County
- Roane County
- Upshur County
- Webster County
- Wirt County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West 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> | To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Frametown and Gassaway. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location. |
| <3> | 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 from Point A (ie- Belfont) 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 Belfont, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |