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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 Monarch (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 Monarch. 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 northwest 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 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.

Monarch 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 Monarch. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Monarch:

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Monarch)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • East Bank
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
    • Glasgow
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Cedar Grove
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • Cabin Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
    • Dry Branch
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
    • Chelyan
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Chelyan is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelyan
    • Pratt
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Pratt is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Ronda
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Ronda is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
    • Hollygrove
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Hollygrove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollygrove
      • Hollygrove has also been known as:
      • Hollygrove Station
      • Hudnall
    • Witcher
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Witcher is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcher
    • Belle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Belle is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belle <1>
    • Chesapeake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Chesapeake is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesapeake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,393 people
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Bloomingrose
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Comfort
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Joes Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Joes Creek is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joes Creek
    • Coopertown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Coopertown is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
    • Eden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Fosterville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Fosterville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
    • Kirbyton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Kirbyton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirbyton
    • Seth
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sharlow
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sharlow is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharlow
    • Orgas
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Orgas is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgas
    • Racine
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Hopkins Fork
      (13 miles [20.9 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 Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Bomont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Elkhurst
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Procious
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Hartland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Clay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Spread
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Spread is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
    • Valley Fork
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Fork is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Cannelton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Smithers
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Kimberly
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Mount Carbon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Powellton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Elkridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Falls View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • McDunn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Gauley Bridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Beckwith
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Romance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Fletcher
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Alkol
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • East ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Garretts Bend
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Tango
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • Yawkey
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
  • Logan County
    • Sodom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sodom is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodom
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Dixie
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
    • Albion ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Albion is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Tipton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Tipton is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
    • Zela
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Zela is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
    • Keslers Cross Lanes
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Morrison is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Poca
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Raymond City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Morgans Landing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Bancroft
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Scott Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Liberty
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Liberty is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Sigman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Teays Valley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Teays Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch 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 south)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Montcoal
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Naoma
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
    • Pineknob
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Pineknob is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineknob
    • Rock Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Arnett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Zada
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Zada is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zada
    • Bradley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Sweeneyburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sweeneyburg is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeneyburg
    • Prosperity
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Prosperity is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosperity
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monarch, with the one closest to Monarch listed first.
    • Pigeon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Cicerone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Walton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Monarch ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Monarch.

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

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

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

  • Lacie - Gray - Morris Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Good Shepherd Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Virginias Chapel Slave Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Slaughter Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Dry Branch Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Hensley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Lewis Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Witcher Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (731 more) ...
    • Cooper Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Sawmill Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Montgomery Memorial Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery Memorial Park
      • The Montgomery Memorial Park has also been known as:
      • Montgomery Memorial Cemetery
      • Montgomery Memorial Gardens

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 Monarch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Monarch.

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

  • Shrewsbury
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Shrewsbury is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shrewsbury
  • Coalburg
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Coalburg is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
  • East Bank
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
  • Cedar Grove
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
  • Dry Branch
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
  • Crown Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Crown Hill is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Hill
  • Winifrede Junction
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Winifrede Junction is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede Junction
  • Winifrede
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Winifrede is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede
  • Handley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Handley is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
  • Montgomery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Crescent
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Crescent is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
  • Malden
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Eagle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Eagle is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Kanawha City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
    • Comfort
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Monarch ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Monarch.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Monarch, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Monarch.

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 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 Monarch:

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 Monarch, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Monarch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.