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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 Jumping Branch (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 Jumping Branch. 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.

Name Variations for Jumping Branch ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Jumping Branch: Jumping Br. (or less commonly used: Jumping Brnch.)

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

Jumping Branch is located in Summers County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Summers County: Giles (VA), Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, Monroe & Raleigh.

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

  • Summers County     (The home county of Jumping Branch)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jumping Branch, with the one closest to Jumping Branch listed first.
    • Prince
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Quinnimont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Meadow Bridge
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Bridge
      • Meadow Bridge is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • McKendree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McKendree have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKendree
      • McKendree is located in Fayette County
    • Spring Dale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Alaska ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alaska have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
      • Alaska is located in Fayette County
    • Sewell Knob ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sewell Knob. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sewell Knob
      • Sewell Knob is located in Fayette County
      • Sewell Knob has also been known as:
      • Swell Knob
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sewell Knob
      • From Jumping Branch to Sewell Knob
    • Stonecliff ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stonecliff. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonecliff
      • Stonecliff is located in Fayette County
      • Stonecliff has also been known as:
      • Stone Cliff
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stonecliff
      • From Jumping Branch to Stonecliff
    • Kilsyth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kilsyth. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilsyth
      • Kilsyth is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kilsyth
      • From Jumping Branch to Kilsyth
    • Mount Hope
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
      • Mount Hope is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Hope <2>
    • Newlyn ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Newlyn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newlyn
      • Newlyn is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Newlyn
      • From Jumping Branch to Newlyn
    • Bellwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • White Oak Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Greenbrier County
  • Logan County
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jumping Branch, with the one closest to Jumping Branch listed first.
    • Kyle
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Kyle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Kyle
      • From Jumping Branch to Kyle
    • Northfork
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Northfork have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northfork
      • Northfork is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Northfork <2>
    • Elkhorn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Keystone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keystone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in McDowell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keystone <2>
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jumping Branch, with the one closest to Jumping Branch listed first.
    • Athens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Elgood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Oak Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Lashmeet
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Princeton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Willowton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Oakvale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Johnston Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnston Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnston Town
      • Johnston Town is located in Mercer County
    • Matoaka
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Matoaka have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Weyanoke
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • East River ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East River have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East River
      • East River is located in Mercer County
    • El Centro ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Centro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Centro
      • El Centro is located in Mercer County
    • Blake ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake
      • Blake is located in Mercer County
  • Monroe County
  • Raleigh County
  • Wyoming County
  • Bland County (VA)
  • Giles County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Jumping Branch, with the one closest to Jumping Branch listed first.
    • Glen Lyn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Glen Lyn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
      • Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Glen Lyn
      • From Jumping Branch to Glen Lyn
    • Lurich
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lurich. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
      • Lurich is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lurich
      • From Jumping Branch to Lurich
    • Rich Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Shumate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shumate. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
      • Shumate is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shumate
      • From Jumping Branch to Shumate
    • Narrows
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Narrows have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
      • Narrows is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Narrows <2>
    • Bluff City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Pearisburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Thessalia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Kire
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kire have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
      • Kire is located in Giles County (VA)
    • Pembroke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Jumping Branch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Jumping Branch.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

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

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

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

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Jumping Branch had a population of 95 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Packs Ferry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Packs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
    • Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
  • Hinton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Ellison
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ellison have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellison
    • Ellison is located in Summers County
  • True
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for True. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True
    • True is located in Summers County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to True
    • From Jumping Branch to True
  • Brooks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brooks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooks
    • Brooks is located in Summers County
  • Pipestem
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Wiggins
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiggins have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiggins
    • Wiggins is located in Summers County
  • Shady Spring
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Flat Top
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Top have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Top
    • Flat Top is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Flat Top <2>
  • Dunns
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dunns have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunns
    • Dunns is located in Mercer County
  • Crow
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crow have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow
    • Crow is located in Raleigh County
  • Warford ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warford
    • Warford is located in Summers County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Jumping Branch ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Jumping Branch.

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Jumping Branch:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Jumping Branch) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Jumping Branch. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.6577, Longitude: -80.9767    
<5>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.
<6>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 Jumping Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025