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 Gaines (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 Gaines. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Gaines is located in Upshur 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 Upshur County: Barbour, Harrison, Lewis, Randolph & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Gaines. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Gaines:
- Upshur County (The home county of Gaines)
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Kanawha Head
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Wilsontown
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Rock Cave
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Goshen
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Alexander
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Alexander is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
- Frenchton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Hoover Town
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Alton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Beans Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
- Adrian
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Abbott
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Sellers ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sellers is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Audra
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Audra is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Audra
- Clements ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clements is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
- Junior
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Junior is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junior
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Tygart Junction
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Tygart Junction is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tygart Junction
- Wilmoth ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmoth is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmoth
- Belington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Union
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Union is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Valley Bend
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Elk City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elk City is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk City
- Wellington Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wellington Heights is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellington Heights
- Huffman ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Huffman is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Milroy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Milroy is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milroy
- Knawl
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Knawl is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knawl
- Falls Mill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Falls Mill is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mill
- Bulltown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Bulltown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bulltown
- Napier
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Napier is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Orlando
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Orlando is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Corley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Palmer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Palmer is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Heaters
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Rollyson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Burnsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Flatwoods
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Doddridge County
- Saint Clara
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Stouts Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Sand Fork
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Baldwin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Truebada
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Cedarville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Troy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Glenville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Alice
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- Harrison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- McWhorter
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- McWhorter is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McWhorter
- Lost Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Lost Creek is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lost Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 462 people
- Craigmoor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Craigmoor is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craigmoor
- Tichenal
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Tichenal is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tichenal
- West Milford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- West Milford is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Milford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 609 people
- Quiet Dell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Quiet Dell is located in Harrison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quiet Dell
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Duffy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Crawford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Alkires Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Garton Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Aberdeen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Aberdeen is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aberdeen
- Berlin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Berlin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Cox Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Weston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Smith Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Jane Lew
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Westfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Westfield is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westfield
- Camden
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Birch River
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Tioga
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pocahontas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Slaty Fork
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wildell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Wildell is located in Pocahontas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildell
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Helvetia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pickens
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Florence ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Florence is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Cassity
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Cassity is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cassity
- Midvale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Midvale is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midvale
- Huff ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Huff is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huff
- Huttonsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lee Bell
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lee Bell is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Bell
- Mill Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Mill Creek is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 681 people
- Elkwater
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Elkwater is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkwater
- Monterville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Spring
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Spring is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Spring
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Cleveland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Hacker Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Replete
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Big Run
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Orndoff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
- Addison
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Ralph
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Ralph is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ralph
- Excelsior
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Erbacon
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Halo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Upperglade
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
- Cowen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Gaines, see our County-by-County Page for Gaines.
Cemeteries Near Gaines ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gaines.
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 Gaines - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Gaines covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Rice Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Gregory Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Dale Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Cave Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Marple Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Life Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Ross Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Brooks Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Alton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Chestnut Flat Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Pickens Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Continue List (268 more) ...
- Beechtown Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Helvetia Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Gaines had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Gaines, with the one closest to Gaines listed first.
- Kanawha Head
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Arlington
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Arlington is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Canaan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Canaan is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canaan
- Holly Grove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Holly Grove is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
- Rock Cave
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Selbyville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Selbyville is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selbyville
- Cleveland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Alexander
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Alexander is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
- Boyd ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Boyd is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Little Wildcat ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Little Wildcat is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Wildcat
- Frenchton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Mayton ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mayton is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayton
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Alton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Evergreen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Evergreen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Duffy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Gaines. See our List of 1890's Communities around Gaines.
Newspapers Published in Gaines ...
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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gaines.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gaines, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gaines.
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 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 Gaines:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Upshur County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Braxton County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Harrison County
- Lewis County
- Nicholas County
- Pocahontas County
- Randolph 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 Gaines, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Gaines) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |