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

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

Knobs is located in Monroe 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 Monroe County: Alleghany (VA), Craig (VA), Giles (VA), Greenbrier & Summers.

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

  • Monroe County     (The home county of Knobs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Union
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Union is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
    • Wolfcreek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Wolfcreek is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfcreek
    • Hillsdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
    • Creamery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Creamery is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
    • Wayside
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Wayside is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
    • Hollywood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Hollywood is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Wikel
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wikel is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
    • Assurance
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Assurance is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
    • Ballard
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ballard is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard
    • Peterstown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Meadow Bridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Meadow Bridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Bridge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
    • Spring Dale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Spring Dale is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Dale
    • Bellwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellwood is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellwood
    • Maywood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Maywood is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
    • Prince
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Quinnimont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Quinnimont is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinnimont
  • Greenbrier County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Alderson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Fort Spring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Fort Spring is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spring
    • Frazier
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Frazier is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier
    • Rockland
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rockland is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
    • Ronceverte
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairlea
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Caldwell
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lewisburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Richlands
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Richlands is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
    • Vale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Vale is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
    • Tuckahoe
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
    • Brink ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Brink is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
    • Clendenenville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Clendenenville is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clendenenville
  • Logan County
    • Rich Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Rich Creek is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Creek
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Elgood
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Elgood is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgood
    • Willowton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Willowton is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowton
    • Athens
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakvale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Oakvale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakvale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
    • Oak Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Abraham
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Abraham is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abraham
    • Shady Spring
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Grandview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Grandview is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
    • Royal ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Royal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
    • Daniels
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Summers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Riffe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Riffe is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riffe
    • Lowell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Lowell is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
    • Bargers Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Bargers Springs is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bargers Springs
    • Talcott
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Forest Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Hilldale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Hilldale is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
    • Buck
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Buck is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
    • Bellepoint
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Bellepoint is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellepoint
    • Packs Ferry
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
    • Brooklin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Brooklin is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklin
    • Hinton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
    • Sandstone
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Alleghany County (VA)
    • Moss Run
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Moss Run is located in Alleghany County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
  • Craig County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Captain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Captain is located in Craig County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
    • Simmonsville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Simmonsville is located in Craig County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
    • Huffman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Huffman is located in Craig County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
    • New Castle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Abbott
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Abbott is located in Craig County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
  • Giles County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Kire
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Kire is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
    • Mountain Lake
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Mountain Lake is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
    • Pembroke
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Bluff City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Bluff City is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
    • Rich Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pearisburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Lurich
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lurich is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
    • Eggleston
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Newport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Newport is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Glen Lyn
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Narrows
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Narrows is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Narrows
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,949 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Narrows <1>
    • Goodwins Ferry
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
    • Shumate
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Shumate is located in Giles County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
  • Montgomery County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Sundance Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
    • Mount Tabor Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Tabor Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor Village
    • McBryde Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • McBryde Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBryde Village
    • Bennetts Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
    • Blacksburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Blacksburg is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blacksburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 44,074 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blacksburg <1>
    • Prices Fork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Prices Fork is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prices Fork
    • Merrimac
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Merrimac is located in Montgomery County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
  • Pulaski County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Parrott
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Parrott is located in Pulaski County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
    • Cowan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cowan is located in Pulaski County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
  • Roanoke County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knobs, with the one closest to Knobs listed first.
    • Moomaw ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Moomaw is located in Roanoke County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
    • Catawba
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Knobs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Knobs.

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

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

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

  • Green Hill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Ballard Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Old Rehobeth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Wayside UMC Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside UMC Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Wayside UMC Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the northeast of Wayside.
    • The Wayside UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Wayside Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #80240 <2>
  • Dropping Lick Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dropping Lick Cemetery
    • The Dropping Lick Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Dropping Lick UMC Cemetery
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lincoln Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Ballard - Harvey Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Pence Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • New Hope Church Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (182 more) ...
    • Lively Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Swope Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Fortner Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Knobs had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Salt Sulphur Springs
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Salt Sulphur Springs is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Sulphur Springs
  • Union
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Union is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
  • Johnson Crossroads
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Johnson Crossroads is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Crossroads
  • Lillydale
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Lillydale is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillydale
  • Wolfcreek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Wolfcreek is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfcreek
  • Pickaway
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pickaway is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickaway
  • Sinks Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sinks Grove is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinks Grove
  • Wayside
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Wayside is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
  • Keenan
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Keenan is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keenan
  • Hillsdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
  • Greenville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Monitor
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Monitor is located in Monroe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monitor
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Rock Camp
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Rock Camp is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Camp
    • Hollywood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Hollywood is located in Monroe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
    • Patton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Patton is located in Greenbrier County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patton

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

Newspapers Published in Knobs ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Knobs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Knobs, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Knobs.

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 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 Knobs:

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Knobs) 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 Knobs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.