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Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> Brewsterdale >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

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

By learning about Brewsterdale (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 Brewsterdale. 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 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.

Brewsterdale is located in McDowell County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of McDowell County: Buchanan (VA), Tazewell (VA), Mercer, Mingo & Wyoming.

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

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Brewsterdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Bishop
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Newhall
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Gary
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Thorpe
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Anawalt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • War
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • War is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Yukon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Big Four
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Kimball
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Welch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Welch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welch <1>
    • Elkhorn
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Keystone
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Yards
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Coopers
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Bramwell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Nemours
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Coaldale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Freeman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Flipping
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Montcalm
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Bluefield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Littlesburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Weyanoke
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Matoaka
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Gilbert Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Baisden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Eastgulf
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastgulf is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastgulf
    • Helen
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Helen is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
    • Ury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ury
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Woosley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Fanny
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Mullensville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Stoneville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Bud
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Pineville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Baileysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Mullens
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Rock View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Keyrock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Keyrock is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyrock
    • Clear Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Bastian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Rocky Gap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Bland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Round Bottom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Round Bottom is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Rowe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Grundy
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Grundy is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy <1>
    • Royal City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
    • Vansant
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Dye
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Honaker is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honaker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Honaker <1>
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Broadford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Ellendale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carmel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Allison Gap
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Cardwell Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Saltville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Marion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Marion is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brewsterdale, with the one closest to Brewsterdale listed first.
    • Bishop
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Abbs Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Adria
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Sayersville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Wittens Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Dunford Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Five Oaks
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
    • Pisgah
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Springville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Boissevain
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Boissevain is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boissevain
    • Tazewell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tazewell <1>
  • Wythe County (VA)
    • Rural Retreat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Brewsterdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brewsterdale.

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

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

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

  • Yates Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Hartwell - Berwind Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Hayes Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bowman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Wilburn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Graham Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Dickenson Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Billips Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sluss Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Billips Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Dillon Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Bowen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (627 more) ...
    • Morton Cemetery
      • The Morton Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #51238 <2>
    • Brown Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bowman Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)

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.<3>

While we didn't find Brewsterdale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Brewsterdale.

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

  • Shraders
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Sayersville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Wittens Mills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Five Oaks
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
  • Pisgah
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Springville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
  • Gap Store
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
  • Bailey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Harman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
  • Maxwell
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Gratton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Gratton is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
  • Bearwallow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Pleasant Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Thompson Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
    • Gillespie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie

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

Newspapers Published in Brewsterdale ...

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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brewsterdale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brewsterdale, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brewsterdale.

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 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 Brewsterdale:

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>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 Brewsterdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Brewsterdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.