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 Bismarck (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 Bismarck. 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.
Bismarck is located in Grant 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 Grant County: Garrett (MD), Hardy, Mineral, Pendleton & Tucker.
Below are the counties that are near Bismarck. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bismarck:
- Grant County (The home county of Bismarck)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Greenland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Greenland is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
- Bayard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bayard is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Maysville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Maysville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
- Medley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Dobbin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Dobbin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Lahmansville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lahmansville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lahmansville
- Arthur
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Arthur is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Seymourville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Seymourville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymourville
- Petersburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hopeville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hopeville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeville
- Dorcas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Dorcas is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
- Hampshire County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Junction
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Junction is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction
- Romney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Vance
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Vance is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Wapocomo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
- Ritters
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ritters is located in Hampshire County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
- Hardy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Moorefield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Durgon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Durgon is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgon
- Fort Run
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Run is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Run
- Inkerman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Inkerman is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inkerman
- Peru
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Peru is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peru
- Baker
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Baker is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker
- Lost City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mathias
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mineral County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Schell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Hartmansville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hartmansville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartmansville
- Sulphur City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sulphur City is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur City
- Harrison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Harrison is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Elk Garden
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Shaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- New Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Windom ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Windom is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Burlington
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Keyser
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Piedmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Headsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Headsville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
- Pendleton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Ketterman
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ketterman is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
- Brushy Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
- Onego
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Onego is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onego
- Kline
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kline is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Macksville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Macksville is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksville
- Preston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Horse Shoe Run
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Horse Shoe Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Shoe Run
- Aurora
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Carmel
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Carmel is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel
- Sell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Sell is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sell
- Salt Lick
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Salt Lick is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Lick
- Terra Alta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rowlesburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Macomber
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Macomber is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomber
- Heathers Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Heathers Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathers Run
- Orr
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Orr is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Albright
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Kingwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Dryfork
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Harman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harperton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harperton is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperton
- Pettit ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pettit is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettit
- Wymer
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wymer is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wymer
- Tucker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Davis
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Thomas
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Coketon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Coketon is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
- Pierce
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Pierce is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
- Canaan Valley
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Elk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Elk is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
- Gladwin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gladwin is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
- Hambleton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hambleton is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hambleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Hendricks
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Hendricks is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Parsons
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Porterwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Porterwood is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterwood
- Pleasant Run
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Run is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
- Allegany County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Luke
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Luke is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luke
- Population from the 2020 Census: 60 people
- Westernport
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Barton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Barton is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
- Moscow
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Moscow is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moscow
- Nikep
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Nikep is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nikep
- Lonaconing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rawlings
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Gilmore
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gilmore is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilmore
- Midland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Midland is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 410 people
- Frost ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Frost is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
- Klondike
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Klondike is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
- Ocean
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ocean is located in Allegany County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Schell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Schell is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Fort Pendleton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Kitzmiller
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Red House
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Red House is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red House
- Altamont
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Loch Lynn Heights
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Loch Lynn Heights is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lynn Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
- Deer Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Mountain Lake Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Lake Park is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
- Swanton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Oakland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
- Hutton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bismarck, see our County-by-County Page for Bismarck.
Cemeteries Near Bismarck ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bismarck.
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 Bismarck - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bismarck covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Schaeffer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Evans Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bayard Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Harvey - Wilson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Knobley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Blackburn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Murphy Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- White Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Evans Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Boswell Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chisholm - Nydegger Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (200 more) ...
- Moreland Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- White Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Doll Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Bismarck had a population of 22 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bismarck, with the one closest to Bismarck listed first.
- Greenland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Greenland is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
- Mount Storm
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Maysville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Maysville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
- Martin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Martin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin
- Gormania
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gormania is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gormania
- Bayard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bayard is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Hartmansville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hartmansville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartmansville
- Gorman
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gorman is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
- Schell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Medley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Kearney
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kearney is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kearney
- Laurel Dale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Dale is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Dale
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Fort Pendleton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bismarck. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bismarck.
Newspapers Published in Bismarck ...
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 Bismarck.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bismarck, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bismarck.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Bismarck:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Grant County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Hampshire County
- Hardy County
- Mineral County
- Pendleton County
- Preston County
- Randolph County
- Tucker County
- Allegany County
- Garrett 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> | 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 Bismarck, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bismarck) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |