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Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> Monson >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Monson (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 Monson. 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 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.

Monson is located in McDowell 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 McDowell County: Buchanan (VA), Tazewell (VA), Mercer, Mingo & Wyoming.

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

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Monson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Anawalt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Thorpe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Gary
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Newhall
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Elkhorn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Big Four
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Keystone
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Kyle
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
    • Kimball
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Northfork
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • War
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • War is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Welch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Welch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welch <1>
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Yards
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Coopers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Nemours
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Bramwell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Coaldale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Freeman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Flipping
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Bluefield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Montcalm
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Littlesburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Weyanoke
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Matoaka
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Bethel ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Bethel is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Eastgulf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Eastgulf is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastgulf
    • Helen
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Helen is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
    • Ury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Ury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ury
    • Slab Fork
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Slab Fork is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab Fork
    • Stotesbury
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Stotesbury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
    • Princewick
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Princewick is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princewick
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Woosley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Bud
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Mullensville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Fanny
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Mullens
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Pineville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Stoneville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Rock View
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Baileysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Keyrock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Keyrock is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyrock
    • Turkey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Turkey is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey
    • Clear Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Bastian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Rocky Gap
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Round Bottom
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Round Bottom is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
    • Bland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Mechanicsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Mechanicsburg is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanicsburg
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Dye
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Ellendale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Broadford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Atkins
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carmel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Marion is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Cardwell Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Allison Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Saltville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Abbs Valley
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Boissevain
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Boissevain is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boissevain
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Wittens Mills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Springville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Five Oaks
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
    • Adria
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Pocahontas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
    • Falls Mills
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
    • Saint Clair
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
    • Yards
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Sayersville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Wythe County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Monson, with the one closest to Monson listed first.
    • Rural Retreat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Crockett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Wytheville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Monson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Monson.

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

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

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

  • Bowman Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Dillon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Yates Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Hayes Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Billips Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Sluss Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Billips Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Harper Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Dickenson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Graham Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Brown Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Bowman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (559 more) ...
    • Sinkford Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Thompson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Mathena Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)

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

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

  • Shraders
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Wittens Mills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Springville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
  • Bailey
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Five Oaks
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
  • Pocahontas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
  • Sayersville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Gratton
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Gratton is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gratton
  • Saint Clair
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Saint Clair is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Clair
  • Falls Mills
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
  • Coopers
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Coopers is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
  • Maybeury
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Switchback
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Switchback is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switchback
    • Ennis
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Ennis is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
    • Elkhorn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn

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

Newspapers Published in Monson ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Monson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Monson, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Monson.

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 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 Monson:

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 Monson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 from Point A (ie- Monson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.