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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 Burnsides (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 Burnsides. 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.

Burnsides is located in Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas County: Bath (VA), Highland (VA), Greenbrier, Pendleton, Randolph & Webster.

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

  • Pocahontas County     (The home county of Burnsides)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Hillsboro
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Watoga ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Watoga is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watoga
    • Buckeye
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Marlinton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Huntersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Onoto
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Onoto is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onoto
    • Edray
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Edray is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edray
    • Thorny Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Thorny Creek is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorny Creek
    • Slaty Fork
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Frost
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Frost is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
    • Sitlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Sitlington is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitlington
    • Cass
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Bank
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Greenbrier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Oscar
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Oscar is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oscar
    • Loveridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Loveridge is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveridge
    • Neola
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Neola is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neola
    • Falling Spring
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Falling Spring is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
    • Spring Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Spring Creek is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
    • Frankford
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Frankford is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frankford
    • Wild Meadow
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Wild Meadow is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Meadow
    • Anthony
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Anthony is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anthony
    • Sunlight
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sunlight is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunlight
    • Unus
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Unus is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unus
    • Williamsburg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Brink ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Brink is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
    • Clendenenville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Clendenenville is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clendenenville
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Richwood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Saxman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Saxman is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
    • Carl
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Carl is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
    • Peaser Junction ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Peaser Junction is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peaser Junction
    • Tolbert
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Tolbert is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolbert
    • Nettie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Craigsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Odell Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Odell Town is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell Town
      • Odell Town has also been known as:
      • Odell
    • Beaver
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Beaver is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
    • Donald
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Donald is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Mingo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Blue Spring
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Blue Spring is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Spring
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Ralph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Ralph is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralph
    • Upperglade
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Upperglade is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
    • Addison
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Addison is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
    • Camden-on-Gauley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Camden-on-Gauley is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden-on-Gauley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
    • Excelsior
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Excelsior is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
    • Welch Glade
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Welch Glade is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
    • Cowen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Halo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Halo is located in Webster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
  • Alleghany County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Moss Run
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Moss Run is located in Alleghany County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
    • Low Moor
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Selma
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Selma is located in Alleghany County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
    • Clifton Forge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rich Patch
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
  • Bath County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Burnsides, with the one closest to Burnsides listed first.
    • Greenwood ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenwood is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Mountain Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Mountain Grove is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Grove
    • Cowardin ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Cowardin is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowardin
    • Carloover
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Carloover is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carloover
    • Healing Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Healing Springs is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Healing Springs
    • Mitchelltown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Mitchelltown is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchelltown
    • Warm Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Bath Alum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Bath Alum is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath Alum
    • Bolar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Bolar is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolar
    • Burnsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Burnsville is located in Bath County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
  • Covington City (VA)
    • Covington
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Highland County (VA)
    • Buckeye ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Buckeye is located in Highland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckeye

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

Cemeteries Near Burnsides ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Burnsides.

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

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

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

  • Kellison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Sunset Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Mountain Gate Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Beaver Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Messir Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Watts Chapel Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Morning Side Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Walnut Grove Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
  • McLaughlin Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Shinaberry Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Reed Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (89 more) ...

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

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

  • Locust
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Locust is located in Pocahontas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust
  • Mill Point
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Mill Point is located in Pocahontas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Point
  • Lobelia
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lobelia is located in Pocahontas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lobelia
  • Jacox
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jacox is located in Pocahontas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacox
  • Renicks Valley
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Renicks Valley is located in Greenbrier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renicks Valley
  • Buckeye
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Loveridge
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Loveridge is located in Greenbrier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loveridge
  • Sue
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sue is located in Greenbrier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sue
  • Marlinton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Leonard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Leonard is located in Greenbrier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
  • Falling Spring
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Falling Spring is located in Greenbrier County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Spring
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
  • Huntersville
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Edray
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Edray is located in Pocahontas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edray
    • Friars Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Friars Hill is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friars Hill
    • Alvon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Alvon is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvon

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

Newspapers Published in Burnsides ...

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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Burnsides.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Burnsides, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Burnsides.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

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

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

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 Burnsides, 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 from Point A (ie- Burnsides) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.