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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 Elkwater (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 Elkwater. 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 and 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.

Elkwater is located in Randolph County.

To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Randolph County: Barbour, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Tucker, Upshur & Webster.

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

  • Randolph County     (The home county of Elkwater)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Lee Bell
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Bell
      • Lee Bell is located in Randolph County
    • Huttonsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Mill Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mill Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
      • Mill Creek is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
    • Monterville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mingo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Helvetia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pickens
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Cassity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
      • Cassity is located in Randolph County
    • Beverly
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Womelsdorf
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Womelsdorf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Womelsdorf
      • Womelsdorf is located in Randolph County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 235 people
    • Canfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
      • Canfield is located in Randolph County
    • Elkins
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Barbour County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Junior
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junior have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junior
      • Junior is located in Barbour County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
    • Belington
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Audra
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audra
      • Audra is located in Barbour County
    • Valley Bend
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Braxton County
    • Falls Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
      • Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
  • Lewis County
    • Crawford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
      • Crawford is located in Lewis County
  • Pendleton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Dry Run
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dry Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Run
      • Dry Run is located in Pendleton County
    • Circleville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Harper
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
      • Harper is located in Pendleton County
  • Pocahontas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Durbin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Durbin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbin
      • Durbin is located in Pocahontas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Durbin <2>
    • Frank
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frank
      • Frank is located in Pocahontas County
    • Wildell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildell
      • Wildell is located in Pocahontas County
    • Thornwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornwood
      • Thornwood is located in Pocahontas County
    • Slaty Fork
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cass
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Arbovale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Green Bank
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sitlington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sitlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sitlington
      • Sitlington is located in Pocahontas County
    • Edray
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edray
      • Edray is located in Pocahontas County
    • Onoto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onoto
      • Onoto is located in Pocahontas County
    • Frost
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frost have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frost
      • Frost is located in Pocahontas County
  • Upshur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Alton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
      • Alton is located in Upshur County
    • Beans Mill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beans Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
      • Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
    • Queens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queens
      • Queens is located in Upshur County
    • Goshen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
      • Goshen is located in Upshur County
    • Tenmile
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tenmile have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenmile
      • Tenmile is located in Upshur County
    • Sand Run
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sand Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Run
      • Sand Run is located in Upshur County
    • Kanawha Head
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha Head have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
      • Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
    • Wilsontown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
      • Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
    • Rock Cave
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
      • Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
    • Sago
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
      • Sago is located in Upshur County
    • Excelsior
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
      • Excelsior is located in Upshur County
    • Adrian
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
      • Adrian is located in Upshur County
  • Webster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Hacker Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Cleveland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Addison
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Addison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
      • Addison is located in Webster County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
    • Replete
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Replete have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
      • Replete is located in Webster County
    • Big Run
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
      • Big Run is located in Webster County
    • Excelsior
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
      • Excelsior is located in Webster County
  • Highland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Elkwater, with the one closest to Elkwater listed first.
    • Monterey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monterey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monterey
      • Monterey is located in Highland County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 136 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Monterey <2>
    • Possum Trot
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Possum Trot
      • Possum Trot is located in Highland County (VA)

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

Newspapers Published in Elkwater ...

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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Elkwater.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Elkwater, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Elkwater.

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 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 Elkwater:

Cemeteries Near Elkwater ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Elkwater.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Old Brick Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Brick Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Brick Church Cemetery
  • Simmons Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Simmons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Simmons Cemetery
  • Stainaker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stainaker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stainaker Cemetery
  • Ft. Milroy Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Milroy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Milroy Cemetery
  • Ware Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ware Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ware Cemetery
  • Crouch Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Hicks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery
  • Cowger Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cowger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cowger Cemetery
  • Pickens Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pickens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pickens Cemetery
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Mt. Olive Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Continue List   (123 more) ...
    • Helvetia Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Helvetia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helvetia Cemetery
    • Hauchen Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hauchen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hauchen Cemetery
    • Keller Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Keller Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Keller Cemetery

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Elkwater had a population of 23 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Lee Bell
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lee Bell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Bell
    • Lee Bell is located in Randolph County
  • Huttonsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Valley Head
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Valley Head have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Head
    • Valley Head is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Valley Head <2>
  • Monterville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Blue Spring
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Spring
    • Blue Spring is located in Randolph County
  • Huff ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Huff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
    • Huff is located in Randolph County
  • Palace Valley
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palace Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palace Valley
    • Palace Valley is located in Upshur County
  • Helvetia
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pickens
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Florence ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
    • Florence is located in Randolph County
  • Hemlock
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hemlock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemlock
    • Hemlock is located in Upshur County
  • Cassity
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cassity have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
    • Cassity is located in Randolph County
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Selbyville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Selbyville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selbyville
      • Selbyville is located in Upshur County
    • Beverly
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Alexander
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alexander have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
      • Alexander is located in Upshur County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Elkwater. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

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

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Elkwater) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Elkwater. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.6361, Longitude: -80.0083    
<4>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.
<5>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 Elkwater, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024