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 Fork (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 Fork. 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 Fork ...
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 occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Laurel Fork: Laurel Frk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Laurel Fork. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Laurel Fork.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Laurel Fork is located in Braxton 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 Braxton County: Calhoun, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Laurel Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel Fork:
- Braxton County (The home county of Laurel Fork)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- McNutt
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- McNutt is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNutt
- Flatwoods
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sutton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lloydsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Heaters
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Corley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Palmer
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Palmer is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer
- Gassaway
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Rollyson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Exchange
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Little Birch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Little Birch is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Birch
- Canfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Arnett
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Arnett is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnett
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Losie ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Mudfork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Stinson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Staten
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Orma
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Russet
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Arnoldsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Oka
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Grantsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Beech
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Hur
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Wattsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Ira
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Widen
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Widen is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
- Harrison
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Lydia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Gould
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Dink
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Spread
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Valley Fork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Clay
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hartland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Elkhurst
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Doddridge County
- Saint Clara
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Saint Clara is located in Doddridge County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clara
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Cedarville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Stouts Mills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Stouts Mills is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stouts Mills
- Sand Fork
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Sand Fork is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sand Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Shock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Truebada
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Truebada is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truebada
- Normantown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Glenville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Baldwin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Baldwin is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
- Stumptown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Alice
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Alice is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
- De Kalb
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Troy
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Troy is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy
- Conings
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Conings is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conings
- Lewis County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Duffy
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Duffy is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duffy
- Crawford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Crawford is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawford
- Alkires Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Alkires Mills is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkires Mills
- Alum Bridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Alum Bridge is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alum Bridge
- Vadis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Vadis is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vadis
- Camden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Camden is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden
- Cox Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cox Town is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cox Town
- Hurst
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hurst is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hurst
- Garton Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Garton Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garton Village
- Weston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Village is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith Village
- Valley Chapel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Berlin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Berlin is located in Lewis County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Birch River
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Tioga
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Muddlety
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Beaver
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Beaver is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Craigsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Donald
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Donald is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
- Summersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Florence ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Florence is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence
- Helvetia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Pickens
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Auburn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Auburn is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 88 people
- Burnt House
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Burnt House is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt House
- Lawford
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lawford is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawford
- Roane County
- Pigeon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Upshur County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Kanawha Head
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kanawha Head is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Head
- Goshen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Goshen is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goshen
- Rock Cave
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Cave is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Cave
- Wilsontown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsontown is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsontown
- Frenchton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Frenchton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frenchton
- Hoover Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Hoover Town is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoover Town
- Abbott
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Abbott is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- Alexander
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Alexander is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander
- Alton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Alton is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alton
- Adrian
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Adrian is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
- Beans Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Beans Mill is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans Mill
- Sago
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sago is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sago
- Sellers ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Sellers is located in Upshur County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sellers
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Replete
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Replete is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Replete
- Erbacon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Big Run
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Cleveland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Hacker Valley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Orndoff
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
- Halo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Excelsior
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Cowen
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Addison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Welch Glade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Welch Glade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
- Upperglade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
- Camden-on-Gauley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Camden-on-Gauley is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden-on-Gauley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel Fork, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel Fork.
Cemeteries Near Laurel Fork ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel Fork.
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 Fork - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel Fork covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- Camden Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Shaver Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Braxton County Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Sutton Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton Family Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Sutton Family Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<2> to the northeast of Sutton.
- Sutton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Fisher Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sutton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Ellison Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Morton Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Morrison UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Flatwoods Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cutlip Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (348 more) ...
- Frame Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Baker Ridge Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Newville Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<3>
While we didn't find Laurel Fork in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Laurel Fork.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel Fork, with the one closest to Laurel Fork listed first.
- McNutt
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- McNutt is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McNutt
- Sutton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Flatwoods
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lloydsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Lloydsville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lloydsville
- Newville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Newville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Little Otter
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Little Otter is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Otter
- Bakers Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bakers Run is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakers Run
- Corley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Corley is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corley
- Heaters
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Caress
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Caress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caress
- Rollyson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Rollyson is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollyson
- Canfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Little Birch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Little Birch is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Birch
- Home
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Home is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Home
- Cutlips
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cutlips is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutlips
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel Fork. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel Fork.
Newspapers Published in Laurel Fork ...
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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel Fork.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel Fork, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel Fork.
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 Laurel Fork:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Braxton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Doddridge County
- Gilmer County
- Lewis County
- Nicholas County
- Randolph County
- Ritchie County
- Roane County
- Upshur County
- Webster County
- 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 '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- Laurel Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Laurel Fork, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |