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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Blackhawk (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 Blackhawk. 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.

Blackhawk is located in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County: Boone, Clay, Fayette, Jackson, Lincoln, Nicholas, Putnam, Raleigh & Roane.

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

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Blackhawk)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Kanawha City
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
    • South Ruffner
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • South Ruffner is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ruffner
    • Airport Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Airport Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airport Village
      • Airport Village has also been known as:
      • Airport
    • Charleston
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Malden
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Coal Fork
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Coal Fork is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fork
    • Elk
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Elk is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Dupont City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Dupont City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont City
    • Loudendale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Loudendale is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudendale
    • Big Chimney
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Chimney is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Chimney
    • Marmet
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • South Charleston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Ashford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dartmont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Dartmont is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
    • Emmons
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Emmons is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
    • Grippe
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Grippe is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
    • Rumble
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Rumble is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
    • Bloomingrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Comfort
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Racine
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Brushton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Brushton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushton
    • Eden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Easly
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Easly is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easly
    • Johns
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Johns is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns
  • Cabell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Culloden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Culloden is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
    • Milton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Bomont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Procious
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Elkhurst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Hartland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Clay
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Valley Fork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Fork is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
    • Spread
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Spread is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Cannelton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Smithers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Kimberly
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Mount Carbon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Powellton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Elkridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Falls View
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • Gauley Bridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • McDunn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Beckwith
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Romance
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Fletcher
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Kentuck
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Kentuck is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
    • Kenna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Aplin ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Aplin is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
    • Statts Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
    • Fairplain
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fairplain is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Garretts Bend
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Tango
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • East ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Alkol
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • Yawkey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
    • Sweetland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Palermo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Palermo is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
    • Hamlin
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Myra
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Myra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Grimms Landing
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
    • Upland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Upland is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Dixie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Poca
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Morgans Landing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Raymond City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Bancroft
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Scott Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Sigman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Liberty
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Liberty is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Paradise
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Paradise is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Teays Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Teays Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
    • Red House
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Packsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Dorothy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Montcoal
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blackhawk, with the one closest to Blackhawk listed first.
    • Cicerone
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Woodyard ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Woodyard is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
    • Walton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Pigeon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Zona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Zona is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
    • Looneyville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Rushville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rushville is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
    • Flint Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Flint Town is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
    • Roxalana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Roxalana is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana

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

Cemeteries Near Blackhawk ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blackhawk.

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

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

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

  • Fisher Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Hess Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Valley Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Hunt - Donnally Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Spring Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Hanson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Mt. Joy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Younger Branch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Newhouse Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Prouse Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lacy Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacy Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Lacy Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the east of Charleston.
    • The Lacy Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lacy Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2547681 <2>
  • Continue List   (746 more) ...
    • Westfall Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hope Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Swannor Watts Hill Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Kanawha City
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
  • South Ruffner
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • South Ruffner is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ruffner
  • Malden
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Charleston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Davis Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Davis Creek is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Creek
  • Mink ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Mink is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mink
  • Mound ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Mound is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
  • Spring Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Winifrede
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Winifrede is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede
  • Winifrede Junction
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Winifrede Junction is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede Junction
  • Jarrett
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Jarrett is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
  • Shrewsbury
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Shrewsbury is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrewsbury
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Coco
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Coco is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
    • Pocatalico
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Pocatalico is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocatalico
    • Coalburg
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Coalburg is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg

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

Newspapers Published in Blackhawk ...

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 112 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blackhawk.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blackhawk, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blackhawk.

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 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 Blackhawk:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Blackhawk) 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 Blackhawk, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.