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Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> Berwind >> 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 Berwind (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 Berwind. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

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

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Berwind)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Newhall
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • War
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • War is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Yukon
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Peapatch
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Bishop
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Height
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Gary
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Bradshaw
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Thorpe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Avondale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Roderfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Roderfield is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
    • Big Four
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Jackson Flats
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
  • Logan County
    • Wylo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Bramwell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Coaldale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Coopers
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Yards
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Freeman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Nemours
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Flipping
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Montcalm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Bluefield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Weyanoke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Littlesburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Matoaka
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Bethel ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Bethel is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Gilbert Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Baisden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Wharncliffe
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • Rhodell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Woosley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Fanny
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Stoneville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Wyoming
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Baileysville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Mullensville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Pineville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Cub City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Sun Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
    • Bud
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Clear Fork
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
    • Rock View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Uno
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Uno is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uno
  • Pike County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
    • Stopover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
    • Majestic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Bastian
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Rocky Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Rowe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Grundy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • 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
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
    • Vansant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Kelsa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Dye
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Barnett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Barnett is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
    • Elk Garden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Elk Garden is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Broadford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Ellendale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Allison Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Cardwell Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Saltville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Marion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Marion is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Mount Carmel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Atkins
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Berwind, with the one closest to Berwind listed first.
    • Dunford Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Sayersville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Harman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
    • Bishop
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Adria
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Abbs Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Maxwell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Pisgah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Five Oaks
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
    • Wittens Mills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Cedar Bluff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Pounding Mill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Berwind ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Berwind.

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

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

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

  • Hartwell - Berwind Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Lomax Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Hagerman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (656 more) ...
    • Rose Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Puckett Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Rowe Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 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 Berwind in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Berwind.

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

  • Bearwallow
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Sayersville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Pleasant Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Harman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
  • Shraders
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Gap Store
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
  • Bradshaw
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Maxwell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Pisgah
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Gillespie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
  • Five Oaks
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
  • Wittens Mills
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Cedar Bluff
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Pounding Mill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Richlands
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Berwind ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Berwind.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Berwind, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Berwind.

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 Berwind:

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 Berwind, 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 from Point A (ie- Berwind) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.