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 Bowles (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 Bowles. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Bowles is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, Putnam & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Bowles. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bowles:
- Lincoln County (The home county of Bowles)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Hamlin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sweetland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Portersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Portersville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
- Garretts Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
- Myra
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Myra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Tango
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Tango is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
- Yawkey
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
- West Hamlin
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- West Hamlin is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hamlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 689 people
- East ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- East is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
- Sheridan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sheridan is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Palermo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Palermo is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Sod
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sod is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
- Kinder ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kinder is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinder
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Woodville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Woodville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Dodson Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dodson Junction is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson Junction
- Horse Creek Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Julian
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Julian is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
- Layville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Layville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layville
- Morrisvale
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Morrisvale is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisvale
- Harless
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harless is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harless
- Emmons
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Emmons is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
- Lory
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lory is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lory
- Grippe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Grippe is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
- Rock Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Creek is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Danville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dartmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dartmont is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
- Cabell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Culloden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Culloden is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
- Milton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Salt Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Fudges Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
- Ona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Yates Crossing
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Yates Crossing is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Crossing
- Sarah
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Sarah is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
- Barboursville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pea Ridge
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pea Ridge is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
- Melissa
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Melissa is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melissa
- Wilson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Reid
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Reid is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid
- Guyandotte
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Guyandotte is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guyandotte
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Tornado
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Tornado is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
- Saint Albans
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sattes
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Sattes is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
- Nitro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Cross Lanes
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbar
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rock Lake Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
- Ruth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Ruth is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- South Charleston
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Elk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Elk is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
- Loudendale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Loudendale is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudendale
- Charleston
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Logan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Banco
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Banco is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banco
- Big Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Big Creek is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
- Chapmanville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Whirlwind
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Whirlwind is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whirlwind
- Mitchell Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Mitchell Heights is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
- Sodom
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sodom is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodom
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Upland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Upland is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
- Apple Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Apple Grove is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Grimms Landing
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
- Hogsett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hogsett is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogsett
- Arbuckle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Arbuckle is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
- Southside
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Southside is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
- Arlee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Arlee is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlee
- Fivemile
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Fivemile is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivemile
- Leon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Leon is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Hurricane
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Teays Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Teays Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
- Scott Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Scott Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
- Teays Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Landing
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
- Midway
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Midway is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Eleanor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Poca
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Raymond City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Raymond City is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
- Winfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fraziers Bottom
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fraziers Bottom is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraziers Bottom
- Bancroft
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bancroft is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
- Red House
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Nestlow
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Nestlow is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nestlow
- Cove Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cove Gap is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- East Lynn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- East Lynn is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
- Armilda
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Armilda is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armilda
- Kiahsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kiahsville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiahsville
- Wayne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Creek is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Creek
- Echo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Echo is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Centerville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Centerville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Ceredo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Doane
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Doane is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doane
- Kenova
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Dunlow
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dunlow is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlow
- Boyd County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Lockwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lockwood is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockwood
- Catlettsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Durbin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Durbin is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbin
- Lawrence County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Buchanan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Buchanan is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan
- Zelda ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Zelda is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zelda
- Gallia County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Crown City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Crown City is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Bladen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bladen is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladen
- Eureka
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Lawrence County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Athalia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Athalia is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Proctorville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rockwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rockwood is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
- Chesapeake
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Scottown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Scottown is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottown
- Sybene
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sybene is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sybene
- Burlington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Burlington is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- Linnville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Linnville is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linnville
- Willow Wood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Willow Wood is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Wood
- Andis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Andis is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andis
- Greasy Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Greasy Ridge is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greasy Ridge
- South Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Aid
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Aid is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aid
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bowles, see our County-by-County Page for Bowles.
Cemeteries Near Bowles ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bowles.
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 Bowles - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bowles covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Trace Fork Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trace Fork Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Trace Fork Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the northeast of Hamlin.
- The Trace Fork Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery has also been known as:
- Trace Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
- Trace Fork Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2239634 <3>
- Harveys Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Roberts Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Hamlin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln Memorial Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Powell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sycamore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Brown Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stowers Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Goode Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Nelson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (979 more) ...
- Bird Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mt. Olive Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Zoar Cemetery
(5 miles [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 Bowles in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bowles.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bowles, with the one closest to Bowles listed first.
- Nye
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Nye is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nye
- Hamlin
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sweetland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Portersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Portersville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
- Griffithsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Griffithsville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffithsville
- Culloden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Culloden is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
- Myra
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Myra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Garretts Bend
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
- Hurricane
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jenks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jenks is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenks
- Milton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sheridan
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sheridan is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Teays
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ona
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fudges Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bowles. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bowles.
Newspapers Published in Bowles ...
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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bowles.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bowles, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bowles.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Bowles:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Lincoln County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cabell County
- Kanawha County
- Logan County
- Mason County
- Putnam County
- Wayne County
- Boyd County
- Lawrence County
- Gallia County
- Lawrence 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> | 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- Bowles) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Bowles, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |