RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of West Virginia >> Kanawha County >> Bess CemeteryIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
West Virginia

The Commemorative Quarter for West Virginia





A visit to the Bess Cemetery ...

Introduction ...

Note: We have organized the cemeteries in our Gazetteer based on a problem that we had while working on our own genealogy. Without specifying the cemeteries involved, we found an ancestor that we believed to have been buried in one cemetery was actually buried elsewhere.

We discovered that his burial had been refused at the last moment and the family had scrambled to make new arrangements. By looking at nearby cemeteries, the surrounding communities and in newspapers of the period, we were finally able to locate his burial site.

Should you find yourself in the same situation, we hope that our Gazetteer helps you discover your lost ancestor.

The Location of the Bess Cemetery ...

Note: The GPS location that we are using for the Bess Cemetery can be traced back to the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)<1>

We are using the following GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) for the Bess Cemetery

Lat:   38.3793°   (38° 22' 45")

Lon:   -81.7243°   (-81° 43' 27")

The Bess Cemetery is located in Kanawha County<2>.

The county seat for Kanawha County is located in Charleston. Charleston lies just to the east southeast of the Bess Cemetery .

List of nearby cemeteries ...

Based on our list of cemeteries, we know of 29 that are within 6 miles [9.7 km]<3> of the Bess Cemetery.<4>

We've listed the following cemeteries based on their distance from Bess Cemetery, with the nearest first.

  • Brick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Brick Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Grandview Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Grandview Memorial Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Thurston Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thurston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thurston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Thurston Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Sunset Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Sunset Memorial Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Cobbs Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cobbs Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Cobbs Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • The Cobbs Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Glendale Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens is located in Kanawha County
  • Bays Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bays Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bays Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Bays Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Casdorph Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Casdorph Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Casdorph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Casdorph Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Rocky Fork Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rocky Fork Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rocky Fork Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Rocky Fork Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Lanham Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lanham Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lanham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • The Lanham Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Bangor Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bangor Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bangor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Bangor Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Cunningham Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cunningham Memorial Park
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cunningham Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Cunningham Memorial Park is located in Kanawha County
    • Graceland Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Memorial Park
      • The Graceland Memorial Park is located in Kanawha County
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Graceland Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the east of Charleston.
      • The Graceland Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Graceland Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #78482 <5>
    • French Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the French Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the French Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The French Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Adkins Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adkins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Adkins Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Haws Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Haws Cemetery
      • The Haws Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Haws Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Charleston.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2529963 <5>
    • Swannor Watts Hill Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swannor Watts Hill Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swannor Watts Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Swannor Watts Hill Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Burdette Lilly Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burdette Lilly Cemetery
      • The Burdette Lilly Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
      • The Burdette Lilly Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Thacker Cemetery
    • Childress Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Childress Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Childress Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Childress Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Mt. Joy Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Joy Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Joy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Mt. Joy Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • St. Matthews Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthews Church Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthews Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The St. Matthews Church Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Hope Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hope Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Hope Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Newhouse Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Newhouse Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Newhouse Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Newhouse Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #79406 <5>
    • Layne Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Layne Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Layne Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Layne Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Thaxton Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thaxton Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thaxton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Thaxton Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Goff Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goff Cemetery
      • The Goff Cemetery is located in Kanawha County
    • Sam Derrick Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sam Derrick Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sam Derrick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • The Sam Derrick Cemetery is located in Kanawha County

For an expanded list with details, please visit our List of cemeteries.

List of neighboring communities ...

The following 30 communities are within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3> of the Bess Cemetery.

We've listed the following communities based on their distance from Bess Cemetery, with the nearest first.

  • Dunbar
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Rock Lake Village
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Lake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
    • Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
  • South Charleston
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Charleston have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Charleston
    • South Charleston is located in Kanawha County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,036 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for South Charleston <7>
  • Elk
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Elk is located in Kanawha County
  • Jefferson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
  • Ruth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Ruth is located in Kanawha County
  • Cross Lanes
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cross Lanes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Lanes
    • Cross Lanes is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cross Lanes <7>
  • Charleston
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Sattes
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sattes. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
    • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
  • Saint Albans
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Albans have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Albans
    • Saint Albans is located in Kanawha County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,763 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Albans <7>
  • Loudendale
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudendale
    • Loudendale is located in Kanawha County
  • South Ruffner
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for South Ruffner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ruffner
    • South Ruffner is located in Kanawha County
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Nitro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nitro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nitro
      • Nitro is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nitro <7>
    • Tornado
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tornado have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
      • Tornado is located in Kanawha County
    • Alum Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Airport Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airport Village
      • Airport Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Airport Village has also been known as:
      • Airport
    • Kanawha City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
      • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
    • Raymond City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raymond City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
    • Poca
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poca
      • Poca is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poca <7>
    • Morgans Landing
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
    • Priestley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
    • Malden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Big Chimney
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Chimney
      • Big Chimney is located in Kanawha County
    • Legg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Legg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<6>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
      • Legg is located in Kanawha County
    • Garretts Bend
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
    • Dupont City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dupont City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont City
      • Dupont City is located in Kanawha County
    • Coal Fork
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coal Fork have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fork
      • Coal Fork is located in Kanawha County
    • Sissonville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bancroft
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Scott Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scott Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County

For the full list of neighboring communities with details, please visit our extended List of Communities.

Nearby communities with newspapers ...

The following communities are those where newspapers have been published and are located in the vicinity of the Bess Cemetery. The following communities are located in Kanawha County.

More information can be found on our list of Local Newspapers for The Bess Cemetery.

We've listed the following communities alphabetically.

Websites to help with your research ...

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

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that might help with the Bess Cemetery:

Miscellaneous References and Mentions ...

Our approach is to add the name of a cemetery whenever we see it mentioned - usually from newspapers, old books and maps. Typically we have little information to start with, but we continue to add detail as we find it.

We've created the following list to keep track of the sources that we found useful for the Bess Cemetery:

  • Referenced GNIS Record ...
  • GNIS ID #1535675  (Bess Cemetery)
    • Note: GNIS record #1535675 has been archived by the USGS. It is no longer maintained by the USGS, nor can it be retrieved from their website.
    • Class: cemetery         Map Name: Pocatalico
    • County: Kanawha         Elev: 276
    • Location given for GNIS #1535675 (Bess Cemetery)

The official website for Kanawha County: www.kanawha.us/

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>If you're interested in how the shape of West Virginia's counties, including Kanawha, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<3>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- ) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point at the Bess Cemetery. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.3793, Longitude: -81.7243       In this case, the coordinates for the Bess Cemetery have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>While we have an extensive database of cemeteries (with over 200,000 entries), you can be assured that it's not complete and our list will be missing cemeteries.
<5>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.
<6>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<7>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.




 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 22 Apr 2025