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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 Hernshaw (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 Hernshaw. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

Hernshaw is located in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County: Boone, Clay, Fayette, Jackson, Lincoln, Nicholas, Putnam, Raleigh & Roane.

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

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Hernshaw)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Marmet
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Belle
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Belle is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belle <1>
    • Chesapeake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Chesapeake is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesapeake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,393 people
    • Dupont City
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Dupont City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dupont City
    • Winifrede
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Winifrede is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede
    • Witcher
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Witcher is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcher
    • Malden
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Chelyan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Chelyan is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelyan
    • Kanawha City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
    • Loudendale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Loudendale is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudendale
    • Cabin Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
    • Dry Branch
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
    • Coal Fork
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Coal Fork is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Fork
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Bloomingrose
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Rumble
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Rumble is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
    • Comfort
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Eden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Sharlow
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Sharlow is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharlow
    • Ashford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Racine
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Dartmont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Dartmont is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
    • Seth
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Brushton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Brushton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushton
    • Johns
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Johns is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns
    • Peytona
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Peytona is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytona
    • Grippe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Grippe is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
  • Cabell County
    • Culloden
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Culloden is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Bomont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Elkhurst
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Procious
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Hartland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Cannelton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Smithers
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Kimberly
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Mount Carbon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Elkridge
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Powellton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • McDunn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Falls View
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • Gauley Bridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Beckwith
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Cotton Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Cotton Hill is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Romance
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Fletcher
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Kentuck
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kentuck is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Garretts Bend
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Tango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • Alkol
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • East ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Yawkey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
    • Sweetland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Palermo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Palermo is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
    • Hamlin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Myra
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Myra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
    • Spears ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Spears is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spears
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Sodom
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Sodom is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodom
    • Banco
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Banco is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banco
    • Big Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Big Creek is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
    • Chapmanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Mitchell Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Mitchell Heights is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Dixie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Poca
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Morgans Landing
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Raymond City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Scott Village
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Bancroft
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Teays Valley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Teays Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
    • Sigman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Hurricane
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Red House
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Liberty
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Liberty is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Eleanor
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Packsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Dorothy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Montcoal
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Naoma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
    • Pineknob
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Pineknob is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineknob
    • Rock Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Arnett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Zada
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Zada is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zada
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hernshaw, with the one closest to Hernshaw listed first.
    • Cicerone
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Walton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Pigeon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon

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

Cemeteries Near Hernshaw ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hernshaw.

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 Hernshaw - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Hawks Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Hoffman Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Snodgrass Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Frye Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Marmet Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Wrightsville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Sawmill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cooper Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Courtney Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Kirk Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Rumble Heights Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (799 more) ...

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

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

  • Winifrede
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Winifrede is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede
  • Winifrede Junction
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Winifrede Junction is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede Junction
  • Malden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Racine
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Racine is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
  • Comfort
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Kanawha City
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
  • Peytona
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Peytona is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytona
  • Dry Branch
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
  • Shrewsbury
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Shrewsbury is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrewsbury
  • Coalburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Coalburg is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
  • South Ruffner
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • South Ruffner is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Ruffner
  • East Bank
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cedar Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • Charleston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Davis Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Davis Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Creek

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

Newspapers Published in Hernshaw ...

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 99 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hernshaw.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hernshaw, 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 Hernshaw.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Hernshaw:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Hernshaw) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Hernshaw, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.