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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 Carswell (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 Carswell. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Carswell 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 Carswell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Carswell:

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Carswell)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Kimball
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Big Four
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Keystone
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Northfork
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Welch
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • 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>
    • Gary
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Thorpe
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Kyle
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
    • Elkhorn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Anawalt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Davy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Davy is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
    • Big Sandy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Big Sandy is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
    • Roderfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Roderfield is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Rocklick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Rocklick is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocklick
    • Greenwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Greenwood is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Bald Knob
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Bald Knob is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bald Knob
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Wylo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
    • Mallory
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mallory is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
    • Mineral City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Mineral City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Accoville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Accoville is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Accoville
    • Braeholm
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Braeholm is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braeholm
    • Man
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Man is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Man
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Man <1>
    • Kistler
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Kistler is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Coaldale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Coopers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Weyanoke
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Bramwell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Freeman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Matoaka
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Flipping
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Nemours
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Yards
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Montcalm
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Lashmeet
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Lashmeet is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lashmeet
    • Littlesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Bluefield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Baisden
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Gilbert
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Wharncliffe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (16 miles [25.7 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastgulf is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastgulf
    • Helen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Helen is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
    • Ury
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Ury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ury
    • Slab Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Slab Fork is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab Fork
    • Stotesbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stotesbury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
    • Princewick
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Princewick is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princewick
    • Bolt
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Bolt is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolt
    • Coal City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Coal City is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
    • Glen White
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Glen White is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen White
    • Lester
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Lester is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 312 people
    • Sophia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Fairdale is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
  • Summers County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Woosley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Mullensville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Bud
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Pineville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Fanny
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Stoneville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Wyoming
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Rock View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Mullens
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Keyrock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Keyrock is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyrock
    • Baileysville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Turkey
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Turkey is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey
    • Clear Fork
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • 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 Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Rocky Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Hicksville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Bastian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Round Bottom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Kelsa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Carswell, with the one closest to Carswell listed first.
    • Boissevain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Boissevain is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boissevain
    • Abbs Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Pocahontas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
    • Yards
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Yards is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Falls Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
    • Bishop
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Springville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Saint Clair
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
    • Adria
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Sayersville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Wittens Mills
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Bluefield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Carswell ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Carswell.

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

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

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

  • New Belcher Mtn. Community Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Old Belcher Mtn. Community Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Rockhouse Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Rotenberry Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mitchem Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Thorpe Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Algoma Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Evans Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Hickory Ridge Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Bailey Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Bud Mtn. Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Bell Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (563 more) ...
    • Belcher Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Little Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Prosperity Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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 Carswell in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Carswell.

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

  • Algoma
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Algoma is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
  • Powhatan
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Powhatan is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
  • Kyle
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Kyle is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
  • Elkhorn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
  • Ennis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ennis is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
  • Switchback
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Switchback is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switchback
  • Maybeury
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Coaldale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
  • Pineville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Newfound
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Newfound is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfound
  • Coopers
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Coopers is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
  • Rock View
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Pocahontas
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
    • Bramwell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Freeman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman

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

Newspapers Published in Carswell ...

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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Carswell.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Carswell, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Carswell.

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 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 Carswell:

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 Carswell, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Carswell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.