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Home >> State of West Virginia >> Kanawha County >> Hitop >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Hitop (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 Hitop. 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.

Hitop 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 Hitop. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hitop:

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Hitop)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Hugheston
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hugheston is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugheston
    • Handley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Handley is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
    • Pratt
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Pratt is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Cedar Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • Glasgow
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hollygrove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Hollygrove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollygrove
      • Hollygrove has also been known as:
      • Hollygrove Station
      • Hudnall
    • Apgah ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Apgah is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
    • East Bank
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
    • Coco
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Coco is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
    • Cabin Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
    • Dry Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
    • Ronda
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Ronda is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
    • Chelyan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Chelyan is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelyan
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Joes Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Joes Creek is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joes Creek
    • Bloomingrose
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Comfort
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Coopertown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Coopertown is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
    • Eden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Fosterville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Fosterville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
    • Kirbyton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kirbyton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirbyton
    • Orgas
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Orgas is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgas
    • Seth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Sharlow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sharlow is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharlow
    • Keith
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Keith is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keith
    • Racine
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Ashford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Braxton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Strange Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
    • Elmira
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Elmira is located in Braxton County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Oka
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Oka is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
    • Mudfork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
    • Stinson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Stinson is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
    • Losie ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Losie is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
    • Walnut
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Walnut is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Bomont
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Elkhurst
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Hartland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Procious
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Clay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Spread
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Spread is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
    • Valley Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Fork is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
    • Gould
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Gould is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
    • Dink
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Dink is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
    • Harrison
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Harrison is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Ira
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ira is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
    • Widen
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Widen is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Cannelton
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Montgomery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Smithers
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carbon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Gauley Bridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Kimberly
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Falls View
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • Powellton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Romont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Romont is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
    • Ansted
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Beckwith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Cotton Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Romance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Fletcher
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Kentuck
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Kentuck is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Dixie
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
    • Albion ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Albion is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Tipton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Tipton is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
    • Zela
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Zela is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
    • Keslers Cross Lanes
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Morrison is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
    • Summersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Runa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Runa is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runa
    • Muddlety
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
    • Snow Hill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Snow Hill is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
  • Putnam County
    • Poca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Dorothy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Packsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Montcoal
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Bradley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bradley is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Stickney
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Naoma
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hitop, with the one closest to Hitop listed first.
    • Pigeon
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Walton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Cicerone
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Looneyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Roxalana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Roxalana is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
    • Rushville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Rushville is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
    • Woodyard ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Woodyard is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard

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

Cemeteries Near Hitop ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hitop.

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

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

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

  • Blakley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Proctor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Ramsey Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Goodwin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Ida Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Lewis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Montgomery Memorial Park
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Memorial Park
    • The Montgomery Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Montgomery Memorial Cemetery
    • Montgomery Memorial Gardens
  • Hinkle Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Kennedy Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Virginias Chapel Slave Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (590 more) ...
    • Woodland Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Ryder Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryder Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ryder Cemetery is located 7 miles [11.3 km]<2> to the east of Pinch.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #79780 <3>

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

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

  • Pond Gap
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Pond Gap is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Gap
  • Spangler
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Spangler is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler
  • Kendalia
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Kendalia is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendalia
  • Dixie
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
  • Belva
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Belva is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belva
  • Gazil ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Gazil is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gazil
  • Handley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Handley is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
  • Montgomery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Crescent
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Crescent is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
  • Lizemores
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Lizemores is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lizemores
  • Cedar Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
  • Crown Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Crown Hill is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Hill
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Eagle
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Eagle is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Odell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Odell is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
    • East Bank
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people

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

Newspapers Published in Hitop ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hitop.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hitop, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hitop.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Hitop:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Hitop) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Hitop, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.