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

Neighboring Counties ...

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

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

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

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

London is located in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County: Boone, Clay, Fayette, Jackson, Lincoln, Nicholas, Putnam, Raleigh & Roane.

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

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of London)
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Handley
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Handley is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
    • Hugheston
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Hugheston is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugheston
    • Pratt
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Pratt is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Hollygrove
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Hollygrove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollygrove
      • Hollygrove has also been known as:
      • Hollygrove Station
      • Hudnall
    • Glasgow
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Grove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • Ronda
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Ronda is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
    • East Bank
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
    • Cabin Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
    • Dry Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
    • Chelyan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Chelyan is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelyan
    • Eskdale
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Eskdale is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eskdale
    • Witcher
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Witcher is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcher
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Joes Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Joes Creek is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joes Creek
    • Coopertown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Coopertown is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
    • Fosterville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Fosterville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
    • Kirbyton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kirbyton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirbyton
    • Orgas
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Orgas is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgas
    • Seth
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Bloomingrose
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Comfort
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Eden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Sharlow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Sharlow is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharlow
    • Keith
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Keith is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keith
    • Elk Run Junction
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Elk Run Junction is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Run Junction
    • Hopkins Fork
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hopkins Fork is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins Fork
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Bomont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Elkhurst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Hartland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Procious
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Clay
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Spread
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Spread is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
    • Valley Fork
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Fork is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
    • Gould
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Gould is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
    • Swandale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Swandale is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swandale
    • Dink
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dink is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Cannelton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Smithers
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Crescent
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Kimberly
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Mount Carbon
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Powellton
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Elkridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Falls View
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • Gauley Bridge
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • McDunn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Beckwith
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cotton Hill
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cotton Hill is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
  • Jackson County
    • Romance
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Alkol
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • East ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Garretts Bend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Tango
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Dixie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
    • Albion ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Albion is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Tipton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Tipton is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
    • Keslers Cross Lanes
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
    • Zela
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Zela is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Morrison is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
    • Runa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Runa is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runa
    • Summersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Putnam County
    • Poca
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Dorothy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Packsville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Montcoal
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Naoma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
    • Pineknob
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Pineknob is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineknob
    • Rock Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Bradley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Arnett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Sweeneyburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Sweeneyburg is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeneyburg
    • Zada
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Zada is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zada
    • Prosperity
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Prosperity is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosperity
    • Harper
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from London, with the one closest to London listed first.
    • Pigeon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Cicerone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Walton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near London ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of London.

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

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

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

  • Montgomery Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Memorial Park
    • The Montgomery Memorial Park has also been known as:
    • Montgomery Memorial Cemetery
    • Montgomery Memorial Gardens
  • Goodwin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Mt. Lewis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Virginias Chapel Slave Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Good Shepherd Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Hensley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lacie - Gray - Morris Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Dry Branch Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (640 more) ...
    • Craig Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Guthrie Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Blakley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)

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.<2>

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

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

  • Handley
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Handley is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
  • Montgomery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Crown Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Crown Hill is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Hill
  • Crescent
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Crescent is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
  • Eagle
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagle is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
  • Cedar Grove
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
  • East Bank
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
  • Coalburg
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Coalburg is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
  • Dry Branch
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
  • Mount Carbon
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
  • Shrewsbury
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Shrewsbury is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrewsbury
  • Powellton
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Powellton is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Deep Water
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Deep Water is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Water
    • Pond Gap
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Pond Gap is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pond Gap
    • Spangler
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Spangler is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spangler

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

Newspapers Published in London ...

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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around London.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of London, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for London.

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 London:

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>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 London, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- London) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.