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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 Blue Spring (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 Blue Spring. 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.

Name Variations for Blue Spring ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Bluespring.

  • A typical abbreviation for Blue Spring: Blue Spg. (or less commonly used: Blue Spng. or Blue Sprng.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south 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.

Blue Spring is located in Randolph County.

To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Randolph County: Barbour, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker, Upshur & Webster.

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

  • Randolph County     (The home county of Blue Spring)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Spring, with the one closest to Blue Spring listed first.
    • Monterville
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Mingo
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Elkwater
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Florence ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
      • Florence is located in Randolph County
    • Pickens
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Lee Bell
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lee Bell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Bell
      • Lee Bell is located in Randolph County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lee Bell
      • From Blue Spring to Lee Bell
    • Helvetia
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Huttonsville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
      • Mill Creek is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
    • Huff ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
      • Huff is located in Randolph County
    • Cassity
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cassity. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
      • Cassity is located in Randolph County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cassity
      • From Blue Spring to Cassity
    • Beverly
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Womelsdorf
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Womelsdorf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womelsdorf
      • Womelsdorf is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
  • Braxton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Spring, with the one closest to Blue Spring listed first.
    • Milroy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Milroy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
      • Milroy is located in Braxton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Milroy
      • From Blue Spring to Milroy
    • Palmer
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
      • Palmer is located in Braxton County
    • Falls Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Corley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Corley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
      • Corley is located in Braxton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Corley
      • From Blue Spring to Corley
    • Bulltown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bulltown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
      • Bulltown is located in Braxton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bulltown
      • From Blue Spring to Bulltown
    • Knawl
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Knawl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knawl
      • Knawl is located in Braxton County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Knawl
      • From Blue Spring to Knawl
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Spring, with the one closest to Blue Spring listed first.
    • Duffy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Duffy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
      • Duffy is located in Lewis County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Duffy
      • From Blue Spring to Duffy
    • Crawford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Nicholas County
  • Pocahontas County
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Spring, with the one closest to Blue Spring listed first.
    • Goshen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Alton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Upshur County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Alton
      • From Blue Spring to Alton
    • Beans Mill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Kanawha Head
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Queens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Sellers ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sellers have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
      • Sellers is located in Upshur County
    • Tenmile
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tenmile. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile
      • Tenmile is located in Upshur County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tenmile
      • From Blue Spring to Tenmile
    • Wilsontown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Rock Cave
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Hoover Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoover Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
      • Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
    • Adrian
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Sago
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Frenchton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Webster County
  • Highland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Blue Spring, with the one closest to Blue Spring listed first.
    • Hightown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hightown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hightown
      • Hightown is located in Highland County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hightown
      • From Blue Spring to Hightown
    • Buckeye ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckeye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye
      • Buckeye is located in Highland County (VA)
    • Meadowdale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowdale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowdale
      • Meadowdale is located in Highland County (VA)
    • Monterey
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monterey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Highland County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monterey <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Blue Spring ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Spring.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Cowger Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cowger Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cowger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stainaker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stainaker Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stainaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ware Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ware Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ware Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Simmons Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simmons Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simmons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Varner Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Varner Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Varner Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hicks Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pickens Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pickens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pickens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meadowland Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meadowland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meadowland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pt. Mountain Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pt. Mountain Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pt. Mountain Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hannah Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hannah Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hannah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gibson Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gibson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gibson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Helvetia Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helvetia Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helvetia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (130 more) ...
    • Hilltop Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hilltop Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hilltop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Old Brick Church Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Brick Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Brick Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Laurel Fork Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laurel Fork Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laurel Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Blue Spring had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Monterville
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Valley Head
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Head have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Head
    • Valley Head is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley Head <1>
  • Elkwater
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Pickens
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Florence ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Randolph County
  • Bergoo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bergoo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bergoo
    • Bergoo is located in Webster County
  • Woodzell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodzell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodzell
    • Woodzell is located in Webster County
  • Lee Bell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lee Bell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Bell
    • Lee Bell is located in Randolph County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Lee Bell
    • From Blue Spring to Lee Bell
  • Helvetia
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Bernardstown
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bernardstown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernardstown
    • Bernardstown is located in Webster County
  • Ralph
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ralph. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralph
    • Ralph is located in Webster County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ralph
    • From Blue Spring to Ralph
  • Huttonsville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Mayton ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mayton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayton
      • Mayton is located in Webster County
    • Jumbo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jumbo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jumbo
      • Jumbo is located in Webster County
    • Palace Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palace Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palace Valley
      • Palace Valley is located in Upshur County

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

Newspapers Published in Blue Spring ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Spring.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blue Spring, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blue Spring.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Blue Spring:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Blue Spring. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Blue Spring, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Blue Spring) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Blue Spring. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.5370, Longitude: -80.1121       In this case, the coordinates for Blue Spring have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025