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 Chapman (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 Chapman. 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 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.
Chapman is primarily located in Braxton County. A portion of Chapman extends into 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 Braxton County: Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Chapman. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Chapman:
- Braxton County (The home county of Chapman)
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Orlando
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Orlando is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Knawl
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Knawl is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knawl
- Bulltown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Napier
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Napier is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Falls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
- Burnsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rollyson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Heaters
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Milroy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Milroy is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
- Flatwoods
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Arnett
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Arnett is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Audra
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Audra is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audra
- Elk City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Elk City is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk City
- Tygart Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tygart Junction is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tygart Junction
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Russet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Staten
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Losie ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Grantsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Orma
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Lydia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Ira
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Wattsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Doddridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Saint Clara
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Coldwater
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Coldwater is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Big Isaac
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Big Isaac is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Isaac
- Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Grove is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Avon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Avon is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Market
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Market is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Market
- Miletus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Miletus is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miletus
- New Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Stouts Mills
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Sand Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Baldwin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Truebada
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Cedarville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Troy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Glenville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Alice
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Conings
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Conings is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conings
- De Kalb
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Normantown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Newberne
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Newberne is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberne
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- McWhorter
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- McWhorter is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWhorter
- Tichenal
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Tichenal is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tichenal
- Lost Creek
(23 miles [37 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
(25 miles [40.2 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
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Craigmoor is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigmoor
- Quiet Dell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Quiet Dell is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiet Dell
- Bristol
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Nutter Fort
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Nutter Fort is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutter Fort
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,501 people
- Reynoldsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Reynoldsville is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- Anmoore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stonewood
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Crawford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Duffy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Alkires Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Cox Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Camden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Weston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Garton Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Smith Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Alum Bridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Vadis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Berlin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Hurst
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hurst is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Birch River
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tioga
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Helvetia
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Florence ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Florence is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Pickens
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Midvale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Midvale is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Cassity
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Cassity is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
- Huff ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Huff is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Auburn
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- 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 northwest)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Burnt House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Berea
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Berea is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Slab
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Slab is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Frenchton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Rock Cave
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Wilsontown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Abbott
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Hoover Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Kanawha Head
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Adrian
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Goshen
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Alexander
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Alexander is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
- Alton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Sago
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Sago is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
- Beans Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Cleveland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Replete
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Hacker Valley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Orndoff
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
- Erbacon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Addison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Excelsior
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Halo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Ralph
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ralph is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralph
- Cowen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Upperglade
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Chapman, see our County-by-County Page for Chapman.
Cemeteries Near Chapman ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chapman.
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 Chapman - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Chapman covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Chop Fork Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Casto Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Fleming Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Knawl Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Orlando Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Orlando Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Orlando.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1979009 <2>
- Riffle Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ratcliff Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Long Point Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Heater Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heater Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Heater Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the northeast of Burnsville.
- The Heater Cemetery has also been known as:
- Heater - Posey Run Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2504948 <2>
- Brown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Big Run Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mick Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (364 more) ...
- Highwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Pickens 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.<4>
While we didn't find Chapman in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Chapman.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Chapman, with the one closest to Chapman listed first.
- Jacksonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jacksonville is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
- Bulltown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Walkersville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Walkersville is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkersville
- Arnold
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Arnold is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
- Falls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
- Ireland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Crawford
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Aspinall
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Aspinall is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinall
- Burnsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Hettie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hettie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hettie
- Duffy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Roanoke
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Rollyson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Heaters
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Corley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Chapman. See our List of 1890's Communities around Chapman.
Newspapers Published in Chapman ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chapman.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chapman, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chapman.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Chapman:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Braxton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Harrison County
- Lewis County
- Nicholas County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Chapman) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Chapman, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |