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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 Irene (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 Irene. 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 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.

Irene is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, Putnam & Wayne.

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

  • Lincoln County     (The home county of Irene)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Sod
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Priestley
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Alkol
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • Tango
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • East ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Alum Creek
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Yawkey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
    • Garretts Bend
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Sweetland
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Palermo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Palermo is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
    • Myra
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Myra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
    • Hamlin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Spears ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Spears is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spears
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Harless
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Harless is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harless
    • Horse Creek Junction
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Horse Creek Junction is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek Junction
    • Julian
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Julian is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
    • Woodville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Lory
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Lory is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lory
    • Emmons
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Emmons is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
    • Dodson Junction
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dodson Junction is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson Junction
    • Morrisvale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Morrisvale is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisvale
    • Dartmont
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Dartmont is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
    • Grippe
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Grippe is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
    • Easly
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Easly is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easly
    • Nellis
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Nellis is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellis
    • Layville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Layville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layville
  • Cabell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Culloden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Culloden is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
    • Milton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Salt Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fudges Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
    • Sarah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Sarah is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
    • Ona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Yates Crossing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Yates Crossing is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Crossing
    • Barboursville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Melissa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Melissa is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melissa
    • Pea Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Pea Ridge is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
    • Wilson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Wilson is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Elkridge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Montgomery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Cannelton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Powellton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Smithers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Kimberly
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • McDunn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Mount Carbon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
  • Kanawha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Tornado
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Tornado is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
    • Ruth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Ruth is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Saint Albans
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Dunbar
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Loudendale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Loudendale is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loudendale
    • Rock Lake Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
    • Jefferson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Sattes
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
    • South Charleston
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Marmet
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Nitro
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Nitro is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nitro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nitro <1>
    • Charleston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Elk
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Elk is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Banco
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Banco is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banco
    • Big Creek
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Big Creek is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
    • Chapmanville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sodom
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Sodom is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodom
    • Mitchell Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Mitchell Heights is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell Heights
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
    • Peach Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Peach Creek is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Creek
    • West Logan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Fort Branch
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Fort Branch is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Branch
    • Whirlwind
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Whirlwind is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whirlwind
    • Logan
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Thompson Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Thompson Town is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Town
    • Hedgeview
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Hedgeview is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedgeview
    • Troy Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Troy Town is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy Town
  • Mason County
    • Upland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Upland is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
  • Mingo County
    • Dingess
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Dingess is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dingess
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Scott Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Teays Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Teays Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
    • Morgans Landing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Poca
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hurricane
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Raymond City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Bancroft
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Winfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Eleanor
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Red House
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Midway
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Midway is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Fraziers Bottom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Fraziers Bottom is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fraziers Bottom
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Packsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Montcoal
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Dorothy
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Naoma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Irene, with the one closest to Irene listed first.
    • Cove Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Cove Gap is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
    • Nestlow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Nestlow is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nestlow
    • Kiahsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Kiahsville is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiahsville
    • East Lynn
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • East Lynn is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
    • Wilsondale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wilsondale is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsondale
    • Armilda
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Armilda is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armilda

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

Cemeteries Near Irene ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Irene.

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

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

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

  • Altman Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Anderson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Holstein Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Pauley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Harless Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Pate Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Pauley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Moore Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Beech Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (838 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.<3>

While we didn't find Irene in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Irene.

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

  • Danville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Foster
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Foster is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster
  • Garretts Bend
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
  • Griffithsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Griffithsville is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffithsville
  • Madison
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Peytona
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Peytona is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytona
  • Tornado
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Tornado is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
  • Spurlockville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Spurlockville is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlockville
  • Racine
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Racine is located in Boone County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
  • Sweetland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
  • Davis Creek
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Davis Creek is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Creek
  • Spring Hill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Saint Albans
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Comfort
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Sattes
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes

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

Newspapers Published in Irene ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Irene.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Irene, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Irene.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Irene:

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>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 Irene, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Irene) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.