Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Oak. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Oak to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Oak, please Contact Us.
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 Oak (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 Oak. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Oak is historic, it would have been located within present day Wood 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 Wood County: Athens (OH), Meigs (OH), Washington (OH), Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie & Wirt.
Below are the counties that are near Oak. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak:
- Wood County (The home county of Oak)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Wesley ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wesley is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Eli
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Eli is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eli
- Lubeck
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lubeck is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lubeck
- Pleasant View
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant View is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Blennerhassett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Blennerhassett is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blennerhassett
- Washington
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mineral Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Mineral Acres is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Acres
- Mineral Wells
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Parkersburg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Kanawha
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Kanawha is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
- Leachtown
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Leachtown is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leachtown
- Slate
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Slate is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate
- Calhoun County
- Big Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Big Bend is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Neptune
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Neptune is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
- Browning ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Browning is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
- Mozelle ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mozelle is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mozelle
- Willowdale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Willowdale is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdale
- Beatysville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Beatysville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beatysville
- Medina
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Medina is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
- Skull Run
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Skull Run is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skull Run
- Sherman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Sherman is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherman
- Ravenswood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Wilding
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Wilding is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilding
- Odaville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Odaville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odaville
- Garfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Garfield is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- New Haven
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hartford City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Hartford City is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
- Mason
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clifton is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Letart
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Letart is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letart
- Sassafras
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sassafras is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassafras
- West Columbia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Columbia is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Columbia
- Baden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Baden is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Flatrock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flatrock is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatrock
- York
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- York is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
- Meadowbrook
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Meadowbrook is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
- Brighton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brighton is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Pleasants County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Horseneck
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Horseneck is located in Pleasants County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horseneck
- Willow Island
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Willow Island is located in Pleasants County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Island
- Schultz
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Schultz is located in Pleasants County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schultz
- Belmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont is located in Pleasants County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 853 people
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Cisco
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cisco is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
- Petroleum
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Petroleum is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petroleum
- Rusk
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Rusk is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
- Oxbow
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Oxbow is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
- Cairo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Cantwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cantwell is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantwell
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Reedy
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Reedy is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
- Millard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Millard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
- Flint Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Flint Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
- Spencer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Triplett
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Triplett is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Wirt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Windy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Windy is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy
- Elizabeth
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Greencastle
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Greencastle is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greencastle
- Newark
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Newark is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Peewee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Peewee is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peewee
- Palestine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Palestine is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Freeport
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Freeport is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Lucile
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lucile is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucile
- Burning Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Burning Springs is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burning Springs
- Creston
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Creston is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
- Athens County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Youba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Youba is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youba
- Coolville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Vanderhoof
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vanderhoof is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanderhoof
- Beebe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Beebe is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beebe
- Guysville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Guysville is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysville
- Stewart
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Stewart is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
- Pratts Fork
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Pratts Fork is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratts Fork
- Big Run
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Big Run is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Carsey Town
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Carsey Town is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsey Town
- Shade
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Armadale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Armadale is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armadale
- Amesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Gallia County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Carlton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carlton is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlton
- Cheshire
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cheshire is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheshire
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Kyger
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Kyger is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyger
- Meigs County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Tuppers Plains
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Portland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Keno
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Keno is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keno
- Bashan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bashan is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bashan
- Spiller
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Spiller is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spiller
- Dorcas
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dorcas is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
- Racine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Syracuse
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Welshtown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Welshtown is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welshtown
- Plants
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Plants is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plants
- Pomeroy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Letart Falls
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Letart Falls is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letart Falls
- Morgan County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Chesterhill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Joy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Joy is located in Morgan County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joy
- Wrightstown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wrightstown is located in Morgan County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrightstown
- Todds
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Todds is located in Morgan County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Todds
- Stockport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Westland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Westland is located in Morgan County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westland
- Elliott Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Elliott Crossroads is located in Morgan County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott Crossroads
- Washington County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Redbush
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Redbush is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbush
- Porterfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Porterfield is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterfield
- Belpre
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Belpre is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belpre
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,356 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belpre <2>
- Rockland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rockland is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Corner
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Corner is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corner
- Fillmore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Fillmore is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fillmore
- Decaturville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Decaturville is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Decaturville
- Napier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Napier is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Napier
- Vincent
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Vincent is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vincent
- Barlow
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Barlow is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barlow
- Harmar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Harmar is located in Washington County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmar
- Marietta
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak, see our County-by-County Page for Oak.
Cemeteries Near Oak ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak.
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 Oak - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Seebaugh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Fleak Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cunningham Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Pleasant Home Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Wigal Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Crooks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Brown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Congrove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hall Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Anderson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Rush Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Pickett Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Continue List (790 more) ...
- Buckley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Miller Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Keenan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles 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.
While we didn't find Oak in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak, with the one closest to Oak listed first.
- Reedsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Reedsville is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedsville
- Belleville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Belleville is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleville
- Manganese ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Manganese is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manganese
- Tyner ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Tyner is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyner
- Wesley ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Wesley is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesley
- Lone Cedar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lone Cedar is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lone Cedar
- Jerrys Run
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jerrys Run is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerrys Run
- Eli
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Eli is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eli
- Hockingport
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hockingport is located in Athens County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hockingport
- Neptune
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Neptune is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neptune
- Topins Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Topins Grove is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topins Grove
- Joppa
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Joppa is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- New England
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- New England is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New England
- Fayal ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Fayal is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayal
- Long Bottom
(6 miles [9.7 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 Oak. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak.
Newspapers Published in Oak ...
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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Oak:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Wood County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Calhoun County
- Jackson County
- Mason County
- Pleasants County
- Ritchie County
- Roane County
- Wirt County
- Athens County
- Gallia County
- Meigs County
- Morgan County
- Washington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Oak, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Oak) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |