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 Laurel 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 Laurel 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 Laurel 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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Laurel Branch: Laurel Br. (or less commonly used: Laurel Brnch.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Laurel Branch. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Laurel Branch.
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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Laurel Branch 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 Laurel Branch. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel Branch:
- Monroe County (The home county of Laurel Branch)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Hollywood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hillsdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Union
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Union is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Wikel
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Wikel is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
- Wolfcreek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wolfcreek is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfcreek
- Assurance
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Assurance is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Creamery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Creamery is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
- Wayside
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Wayside is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
- Ballard
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Ballard is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard
- Peterstown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Greenbrier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Tuckahoe
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- Rockland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rockland is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Ronceverte
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Caldwell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fairlea
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- White Sulphur Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Fort Spring
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Spring is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spring
- Frazier
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Frazier is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier
- Lewisburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Brink ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Brink is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
- Alderson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wild Meadow
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Wild Meadow is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Meadow
- Clendenenville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Clendenenville is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clendenenville
- Logan County
- Rich Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rich Creek is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Creek
- Summers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Riffe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Riffe is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riffe
- Lowell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Lowell is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Bargers Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bargers Springs is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bargers Springs
- Talcott
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Forest Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Hilldale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hilldale is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
- Buck
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Buck is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
- Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
- Bellepoint
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Bellepoint is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellepoint
- Packs Ferry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
- Alleghany County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Moss Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Moss Run is located in Alleghany County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
- Rich Patch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rich Patch is located in Alleghany County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Patch
- Botetourt County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Oriskany
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Haymakertown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Amsterdam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Amsterdam is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam
- Daleville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Fincastle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cloverdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Troutville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Strom
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Strom is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strom
- Apple Tree Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Apple Tree Village is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Tree Village
- Runaway Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Runaway Village is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runaway Village
- Laymantown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Laymantown is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laymantown
- Botetourt ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Botetourt is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Botetourt
- Haden
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Haden is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haden
- Covington City (VA)
- Covington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Craig County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Simmonsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Captain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Captain is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
- Huffman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Huffman is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- New Castle
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Abbott
(13 miles [20.9 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 Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Kire
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kire is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
- Mountain Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mountain Lake is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Newport
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Newport is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Pembroke
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Eggleston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Goodwins Ferry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
- Bluff City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bluff City is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Pearisburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rich Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Narrows
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lurich
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Lurich is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
- Poplar Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Poplar Hill is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Hill
- Glen Lyn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Montgomery County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Bennetts Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
- Mount Tabor Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Mount Tabor Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor Village
- McBryde Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- McBryde Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBryde Village
- Sundance Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
- Blacksburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Elliston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ellett
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Merrimac
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Merrimac is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
- Prices Fork
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Prices Fork is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prices Fork
- Montgomery
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Shawsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Houchins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Christiansburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pulaski County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Parrott
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Parrott is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
- Cowan
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cowan is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Fairlawn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fairlawn is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlawn
- Radford City (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Mill Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mill Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Simpkins Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Simpkins Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpkins Village
- Radford Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Radford Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford Village
- Radford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Roanoke City (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Roanoke
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Buena Vista is located in Roanoke City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Garden City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Garden City is located in Roanoke City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden City
- Roanoke County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Catawba
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Cove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Hanging Rock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Riverside
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Wabun
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Hollins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Cave Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cave Spring is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cave Spring
- Bent Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Vinton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Salem City (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sunset Village is located in Salem City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel Branch, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel Branch.
Cemeteries Near Laurel Branch ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel 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.
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 Laurel Branch - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Bostic Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Rowan Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- The Rowan Family Cemetery is located on private property - be sure to secure permission before visiting.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowan Family Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Rowan Family Cemetery is located 11 miles [17.7 km]<2> to the west of New Castle (VA).
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2146761 <3>
- Gap Mills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Zion Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bryan Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Caldwell Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Taylor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ruble Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- County Farm Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Paitsel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rowan Memorial Home Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (238 more) ...
- Catholic Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Ross Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Nutter Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
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 Laurel Branch had a population of 19 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel Branch, with the one closest to Laurel Branch listed first.
- Centennial
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Centennial is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centennial
- Gap Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Waiteville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Waiteville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waiteville
- Paint Bank
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Gunn
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Gunn is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gunn
- Hollywood
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Crimson Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Crimson Springs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crimson Springs
- Sweet Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sweet Springs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Springs
- Keenan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Keenan is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keenan
- Sinking Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sinking Creek is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinking Creek
- Sweet Chalybeate
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sweet Chalybeate is located in Alleghany County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweet Chalybeate
- Hillsdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Zenith
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Zenith is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith
- Simmonsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Potts Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Potts Creek is located in Alleghany County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potts Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel Branch.
Newspapers Published in Laurel 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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel Branch.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel Branch, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel Branch.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Laurel Branch:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Monroe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Greenbrier County
- Logan County
- Summers County
- Alleghany County
- Botetourt County
- Covington City
- Craig County
- Giles County
- Montgomery County
- Pulaski County
- Radford City
- Roanoke City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
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 from Point A (ie- Laurel Branch) 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 Laurel Branch, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |