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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 Nitro (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 Nitro. 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.

Nitro is primarily located in Kanawha County. A portion of Nitro extends into Putnam 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 Nitro. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Nitro:

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Nitro)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Sattes
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
    • Cross Lanes
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Saint Albans
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jefferson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Tornado
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Tornado is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
    • Dunbar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rock Lake Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
    • South Charleston
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Elk
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Elk is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Ruth
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Ruth is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
    • Charleston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Legg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Legg is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Emmons
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Emmons is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
    • Grippe
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Grippe is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
    • Dartmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Dartmont is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
    • Ashford
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Horse Creek Junction
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Horse Creek Junction is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek Junction
    • Rumble
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rumble is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
    • Brushton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Brushton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushton
    • Harless
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Harless is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harless
    • Julian
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Julian is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
    • Woodville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Woodville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Easly
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Easly is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easly
    • Johns
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Johns is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns
  • Cabell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Culloden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Culloden is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
    • Milton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Yates Crossing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Yates Crossing is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Crossing
    • Fudges Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
    • Ona
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Salt Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Sarah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Sarah is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
    • Barboursville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Crown City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown City is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
    • Pea Ridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Pea Ridge is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
    • Melissa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Melissa is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melissa
    • Wilson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Wilson is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Romance
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Kenna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Kentuck
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Kentuck is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
    • Fletcher
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Fairplain
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Fairplain is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
    • Statts Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
    • Aplin ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Aplin is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
    • Angerona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Angerona is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angerona
    • Huntsville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Huntsville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
    • Ripley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Hereford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Hereford is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Garretts Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Priestley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Tango
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • East ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Sweetland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Yawkey
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
    • Hamlin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Portersville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Portersville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
    • Alkol
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • Myra
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Myra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Banco
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Banco is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banco
    • Big Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Big Creek is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Upland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Upland is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
    • Grimms Landing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
    • Arbuckle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Arbuckle is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
    • Southside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Southside is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
    • Leon
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Leon is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Apple Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Apple Grove is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
    • Baden
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Baden is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
    • Arlee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Arlee is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlee
    • Fivemile
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivemile is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivemile
    • Hogsett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Hogsett is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogsett
    • Brighton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Brighton is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Morgans Landing
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Poca
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Raymond City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Scott Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Teays Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bancroft
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Teays Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
    • Winfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Red House
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Eleanor
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hurricane
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Midway
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Midway is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Cicerone
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Woodyard ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodyard is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
    • Walton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Flint Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Flint Town is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
    • Zona
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Zona is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
  • Wayne County
    • Nestlow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Nestlow is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nestlow
  • Gallia County (OH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Bladen
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bladen is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladen
    • Eureka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Eureka is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
    • Crown City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Crown City is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
  • Lawrence County (OH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Nitro, with the one closest to Nitro listed first.
    • Athalia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Athalia is located in Lawrence County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Proctorville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Nitro ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Nitro.

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

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

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

  • Burdette Lilly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette Lilly Cemetery
    • The Burdette Lilly Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Thacker Cemetery
  • Teays Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • College Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Hodges Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Dunlap Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cunningham Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Bangor Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Lilly Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Sutherland - White Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Brick Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (871 more) ...
    • Lanham Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Lawrence Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryant Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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

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

  • Sattes
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
  • Scary
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Scary is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scary
  • Saint Albans
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Poca
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Raymond City
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
  • Tornado
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Tornado is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
  • Spring Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Rocky Fork
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rocky Fork is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Fork
  • Bancroft
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
  • Teays
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Plymouth
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Plymouth is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
  • Mound ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mound is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Davis Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Davis Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Creek
    • Winfield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Garretts Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Nitro ...

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 Nitro.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Nitro. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Nitro and those printed in the larger area surrounding Nitro.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4> of Nitro.

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 Nitro:

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>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<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 Nitro, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Nitro) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.