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 Brownsville (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 Brownsville. 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 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.
Brownsville is located in Lewis 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 Lewis County: Braxton, Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Upshur & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Brownsville. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brownsville:
- Lewis County (The home county of Brownsville)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Cox Town
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Weston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Alkires Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Smith Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Garton Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Camden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Valley Chapel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Westfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Westfield is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
- Berlin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Lightburn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lightburn is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lightburn
- Jane Lew
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Aberdeen
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Aberdeen is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Elk City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Elk City is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk City
- Pepper
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pepper is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pepper
- Audra
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Audra is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audra
- Tygart Junction
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Tygart Junction is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tygart Junction
- Wellington Heights
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wellington Heights is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington Heights
- Union
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Union is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Berryburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Berryburg is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryburg
- Clements ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Clements is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
- Adaland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Adaland is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaland
- Philippi
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmoth ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Wilmoth is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmoth
- Meriden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Meriden is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Orlando
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Orlando is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Knawl
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Knawl is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knawl
- Burnsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bulltown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Napier
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Napier is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Falls Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
- Rollyson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Arnett
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Arnett is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
- Heaters
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Corley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Milroy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Milroy is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
- Exchange
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Doddridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Big Isaac
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Big Isaac is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Isaac
- Coldwater
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Coldwater is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Saint Clara
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Miletus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Miletus is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miletus
- Avon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Avon is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Grove is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Market
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Market is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Market
- New Milton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Doak
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Doak is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doak
- Avondale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Avondale is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Smithburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Smithburg is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
- West Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Sand Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Stouts Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Baldwin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Troy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Conings
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Conings is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conings
- Truebada
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Alice
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Glenville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Cedarville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Newberne
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Newberne is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberne
- De Kalb
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Normantown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- McWhorter
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- McWhorter is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWhorter
- Tichenal
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tichenal is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tichenal
- Lost Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lost Creek is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 462 people
- West Milford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- West Milford is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 609 people
- Craigmoor
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Craigmoor is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigmoor
- Quiet Dell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Quiet Dell is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiet Dell
- Bristol
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Reynoldsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Reynoldsville is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- Salem
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Nutter Fort
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Nutter Fort is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutter Fort
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,501 people
- Stonewood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stonewood is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,702 people
- Adamston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Adamston is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamston
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Midvale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Midvale is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Helvetia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cassity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cassity is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
- Pickens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Womelsdorf
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Womelsdorf is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womelsdorf
- Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
- Florence ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Florence is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Tigheville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Tigheville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tigheville
- Weaver
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Weaver is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weaver
- Huff ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Huff is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Auburn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Auburn is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Lawford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Berea
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Berea is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Burnt House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Pullman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pullman is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Slab
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Slab is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Toll Gate
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Toll Gate is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toll Gate
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Astor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Astor is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor
- Flemington
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Flemington is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Oreide
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oreide is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oreide
- Brydon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brydon is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brydon
- Webster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Webster is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Abbott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Frenchton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Adrian
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Hoover Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Buckhannon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Rock Cave
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Sago
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sago is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
- Wilsontown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Reger
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Reger is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reger
- Overhill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Overhill is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Overhill
- Kanawha Head
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Sellers ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sellers is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Cleveland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Replete
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Hacker Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Big Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brownsville, see our County-by-County Page for Brownsville.
Cemeteries Near Brownsville ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brownsville.
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 Brownsville - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brownsville covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Brownsville Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Rockford - Pletcher Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Middle Run Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Glady Fork Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Old Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Bailey Ave. Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Weston Masonic Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Peterson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Waldeck Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Smith Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Machperlah Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fisher Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (396 more) ...
- Rhodes Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Fairview Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Horner Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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 Brownsville in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Brownsville.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Brownsville, with the one closest to Brownsville listed first.
- Alkires Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Weston
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Deanville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Deanville is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deanville
- Roanoke
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Horner
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Horner is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horner
- Arnold
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Arnold is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Vandalia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vandalia is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
- Freemansburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Freemansburg is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freemansburg
- Camden
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Bealls Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bealls Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bealls Mills
- Jacksonville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jacksonville is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
- Berlin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Aspinall
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Aspinall is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinall
- Jane Lew
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lightburn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Lightburn is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lightburn
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brownsville. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brownsville.
Newspapers Published in Brownsville ...
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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brownsville.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brownsville, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brownsville.
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 Brownsville:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Lewis County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Braxton County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Harrison County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie County
- Taylor County
- Upshur County
- Webster 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> | 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 Brownsville, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Brownsville) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |