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 Copen (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 Copen. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
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 north 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.
Copen is located in Braxton 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 Copen. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Copen:
- Braxton County (The home county of Copen)
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Arnett
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Arnett is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
- Burnsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Exchange
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Rollyson
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Lloydsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Orlando
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Orlando is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Heaters
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Chapel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Flatwoods
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Napier
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Napier is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Bulltown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Corley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Progress ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Russet
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Staten
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Losie ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Walnut
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Grantsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Orma
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Arnoldsburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Stinson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Mudfork
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Hur
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Beech
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Big Bend
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Big Bend is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Lydia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Ira
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Wattsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Dink
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Harrison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Widen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Widen is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
- Gould
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Spread
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Valley Fork
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Doddridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Saint Clara
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Grove
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Grove is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Coldwater
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Coldwater is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Avon
(25 miles [40.2 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
- Big Isaac
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Big Isaac is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Isaac
- New Milton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Miletus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Miletus is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miletus
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Stouts Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Cedarville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Sand Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Truebada
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Glenville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Alice
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Normantown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Troy
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- De Kalb
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Shock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Stumptown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Conings
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Conings is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conings
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- McWhorter
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- McWhorter is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWhorter
- Tichenal
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tichenal is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tichenal
- Lost Creek
(30 miles [48.3 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
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- West Milford is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 609 people
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Alum Bridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Vadis
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Crawford
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Duffy
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Hurst
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Hurst is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
- Alkires Mills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Camden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Cox Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Weston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Garton Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Valley Chapel
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Westfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Westfield is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Birch River
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tioga
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Helvetia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Florence ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Florence is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Pickens
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Auburn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Auburn is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Burnt House
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Lawford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Berea
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Berea is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Slab
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Slab is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Smithville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Smithville is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Pullman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pullman is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Cantwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cantwell is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantwell
- Cokeleys
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cokeleys is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokeleys
- Harrisville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Graux
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Roxalana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Triplett
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Triplett is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Frenchton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Rock Cave
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Kanawha Head
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Wilsontown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Abbott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Hoover Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Adrian
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Goshen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Alexander
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alexander is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
- Alton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Sago
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Sago is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
- Beans Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
- Buckhannon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Replete
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Cleveland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Big Run
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Hacker Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Erbacon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Orndoff
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
- Halo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Excelsior
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Cowen
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Addison
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Wirt County
- Creston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Creston is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Copen, see our County-by-County Page for Copen.
Cemeteries Near Copen ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Copen.
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 Copen - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Copen covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Right Hand Fork Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rutherford Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jack Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Moyers Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- K of P Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Conrad Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Smith Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Barrett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Snyder Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Burk Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Sand Fork Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Canfield Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (412 more) ...
- Moss Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cedarville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Cedarville Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Cedarville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1961158 <2>
- Conrad Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Copen had a population of 28 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Copen, with the one closest to Copen listed first.
- Hyers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hyers is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyers
- Stouts Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Cutlips
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Cutlips is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutlips
- Burnsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Cedarville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Sand Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Hope ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hope is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
- Rollyson
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- German ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- German is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for German
- Lloydsville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Truebada
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Ellis
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ellis is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Chapel
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Heaters
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Home
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Home is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Copen. See our List of 1890's Communities around Copen.
Newspapers Published in Copen ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Copen.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Copen, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Copen.
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 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 Copen:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Braxton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Harrison County
- Lewis County
- Nicholas County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie County
- Roane County
- Upshur County
- Webster County
- Wirt 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 Copen, 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- Copen) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |