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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 Dans Run (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 Dans Run. 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.

Name Variations for Dans Run ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

While the name of this community is Dans Run, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Dans Run may originally have been Dan's Run.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Dans Run might be written as Dan Run.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Dans Run is located in Mineral 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 Mineral County: Allegany (MD), Garrett (MD), Grant, Hampshire & Hardy.

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

  • Mineral County     (The home county of Dans Run)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Fort Ashby
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Wiley Ford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Short Gap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Short Gap is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Gap
    • Carpendale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Carpendale is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpendale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 900 people
    • Ridgeley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Headsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Headsville is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Headsville
    • Keyser
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Burlington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Piedmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • New Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Windom ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Windom is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
    • Shaw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Shaw is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
  • Hampshire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Donaldson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Donaldson is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
    • Springfield
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Okonoko
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Okonoko is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okonoko
    • Ritters
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Ritters is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritters
    • Points
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Points is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Points
    • Three Churches
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Three Churches is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Churches
    • Wapocomo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Wapocomo is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapocomo
    • Higginsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Higginsville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higginsville
    • Vance
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Vance is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
    • Romney
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Romney is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,680 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Romney <2>
    • Slanesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Slanesville is located in Hampshire County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slanesville
    • Augusta
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Hardy County
    • Inkerman
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Inkerman is located in Hardy County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inkerman
  • Morgan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Hansrote
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Hansrote is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansrote
    • Magnolia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Magnolia is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Doe Gully
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Doe Gully is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Gully
    • Orleans Cross Roads
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Orleans Cross Roads is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans Cross Roads
    • Woodmont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Woodmont is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmont
    • Oakland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Oakland is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
    • Berryville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Berryville is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryville
    • Bath
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Bath is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bath
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 587 people
    • Berkeley Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Stotlers Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Stotlers Crossroads is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotlers Crossroads
    • Hancock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Hancock is located in Morgan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
  • Allegany County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Spring Gap
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Spring Gap is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Gap
    • Oldtown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Brady
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Brady is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
    • Cedar Cliff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Cliff is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Cliff
    • Shanty Town ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Shanty Town is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shanty Town
    • Town Creek ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Town Creek is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
    • Cresaptown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumberland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Pinto is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinto
    • Rush
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rush is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rush
    • La Vale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Frost ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Frost is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
  • Garrett County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Avilton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Avilton is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avilton
    • Bloomington
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Bloomington is located in Garrett County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
    • Grantsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Kitzmiller
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Bittinger
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Swanton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Washington County (MD)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Pearre
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Pearre is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearre
    • Hancock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Hancock is located in Washington County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,522 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hancock <2>
  • Bedford County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Cooks Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Cooks Mills is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooks Mills
    • Stringtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Stringtown is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
    • Beans Cove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Beans Cove is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Cove
    • Hyndman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Hyndman is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyndman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hyndman <2>
    • Rainsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Rainsburg is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 128 people
    • Purcell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Purcell is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purcell
    • Robinsonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Robinsonville is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinsonville
    • Charlesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Charlesville is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlesville
    • Kegg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Kegg is located in Bedford County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kegg
    • Manns Choice
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Fulton County (PA)
  • Somerset County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Wellersburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Wellersburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellersburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 169 people
    • Fairhope
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Wittenberg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wittenberg is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittenberg
    • Callimont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Callimont is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callimont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
    • Johnsburg
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Glade City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Glade City is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade City
    • Boynton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Boynton is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boynton
    • Hays Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Hays Mill is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays Mill
    • Meyersdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Salisbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • West Salisbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • West Salisbury is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
    • Coal Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Coal Run is located in Somerset County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
  • Frederick County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dans Run, with the one closest to Dans Run listed first.
    • Good
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Good is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good
    • Collinsville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Collinsville is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
    • Cross Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Nordic Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Nordic Village is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nordic Village
    • Shockeysville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Shockeysville is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockeysville
    • Lehew
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Lehew is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehew
    • Siler
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Siler is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siler
    • Rock Enon Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock Enon Springs is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Enon Springs
    • Hayfield
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hayfield is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayfield
    • Rosenberger
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosenberger is located in Frederick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenberger

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

Cemeteries Near Dans Run ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dans Run.

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 Dans Run - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Methodist Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Wesleyan Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Hardy Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Frankfort Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Bethel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars Burial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Oldtown Catholic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Oldtown United Methodist Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Davis Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Hartsock Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • St. Mary's Burial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Mary's Burial Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Mary's Burial Park is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Cumberland (MD).
    • The St. Mary's Burial Park has also been known as:
    • St. Mary's Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #640865 <3>
  • Abe Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (243 more) ...
    • Inkeep Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Rice Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ilechiter Monnett Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)

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

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

  • Patterson Creek
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Patterson Creek is located in Mineral County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Creek
  • Donaldson
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Donaldson is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donaldson
  • Green Spring
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Green Spring is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Spring
  • Oldtown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Springfield
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ridgeley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Brady
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Brady is located in Allegany County (MD)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brady
  • Seymour
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Seymour is located in Mineral County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
  • Grace
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Grace is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
  • Levels
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Levels is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Levels
  • Okonoko
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Okonoko is located in Hampshire County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okonoko
  • Cumberland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Town Creek ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Town Creek is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Town Creek
    • Cresaptown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pinto
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Pinto is located in Allegany County (MD)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinto

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

Newspapers Published in Dans Run ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dans Run.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dans Run, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dans Run.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Dans Run:

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Dans Run, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Dans Run) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.