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 Donlan (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 Donlan. 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 hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Donlan is located in Gilmer 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 Gilmer County: Braxton, Calhoun, Doddridge, Lewis & Ritchie.
Below are the counties that are near Donlan. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Donlan:
- Gilmer County (The home county of Donlan)
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Sand Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Baldwin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Stouts Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Truebada
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Troy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Alice
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Glenville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Conings
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Conings is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conings
- Cedarville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Newberne
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Newberne is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newberne
- De Kalb
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Normantown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stumptown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Burnsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Orlando
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Orlando is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Arnett
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Arnett is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
- Rollyson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Knawl
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Knawl is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knawl
- Napier
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Napier is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Exchange
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Heaters
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Bulltown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Falls Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
- Corley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Lloydsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Chapel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Staten
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Russet
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Grantsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Big Bend
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Big Bend is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Freed
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Freed is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freed
- Arnoldsburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Orma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Losie ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Hur
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Beech
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Stinson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Clay County
- Lydia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Doddridge County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Saint Clara
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Grove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Grove is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grove
- Coldwater
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Coldwater is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coldwater
- Avon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Avon is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avon
- Market
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Market is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Market
- New Milton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Big Isaac
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Big Isaac is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Isaac
- Miletus
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Miletus is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miletus
- Avondale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Avondale is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
- Smithburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Smithburg is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithburg
- West Union
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Duckworth
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Duckworth is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duckworth
- Doak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Doak is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doak
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- McWhorter
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- McWhorter is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWhorter
- Tichenal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Tichenal is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tichenal
- Lost Creek
(22 miles [35.4 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
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Bristol
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Craigmoor
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Craigmoor is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigmoor
- Reynoldsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reynoldsville is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- O'Neill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- O'Neill is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neill
- Quiet Dell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Quiet Dell is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiet Dell
- Wilsonburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsonburg is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonburg
- Adamston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Adamston is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adamston
- Clarksburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Alum Bridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Vadis
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Hurst
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hurst is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
- Camden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Cox Town
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Alkires Mills
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Smith Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Weston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Valley Chapel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Crawford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Garton Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Westfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Westfield is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
- Duffy
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Randolph County
- Helvetia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Auburn
(13 miles [20.9 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
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Burnt House
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Berea
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Berea is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Slab
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Slab is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab
- Pullman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pullman is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pullman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 135 people
- Smithville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Smithville is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Toll Gate
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Toll Gate is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toll Gate
- Hannahdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hannahdale is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hannahdale
- Harrisville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cantwell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cantwell is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantwell
- Cokeleys
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cokeleys is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokeleys
- Pennsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Frenchton
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Abbott
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Rock Cave
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Hoover Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Wilsontown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Adrian
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Kanawha Head
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Buckhannon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sago
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sago is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
- Alton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Reger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Reger is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reger
- Sellers ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Sellers is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Goshen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Replete
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Cleveland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hacker Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Big Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Erbacon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Donlan, see our County-by-County Page for Donlan.
Cemeteries Near Donlan ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Donlan.
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 Donlan - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Donlan covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Boilon Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Rogers Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Old Field Fork Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Messenger Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Keith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- McHenry Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Dyer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Conrad Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Canfield Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Tumbling Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Rock Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Rock Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (445 more) ...
- Sand Fork Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Snyder Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Woofter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<2>
While we didn't find Donlan in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Donlan.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Donlan, with the one closest to Donlan listed first.
- Ellis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ellis is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis
- Bealls Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bealls Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bealls Mills
- Sand Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Aspinall
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Aspinall is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspinall
- Truebada
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Vadis
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Stouts Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Alum Bridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Hyers
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hyers is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hyers
- Troy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Burnsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Alice
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Glenville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Copen
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Copen is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copen
- Camden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Donlan. See our List of 1890's Communities around Donlan.
Newspapers Published in Donlan ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Donlan.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Donlan, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Donlan.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Donlan:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Gilmer County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Harrison County
- Lewis 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> | 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 Donlan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Donlan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |