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 Porter (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 Porter. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Porter is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Braxton, Calhoun, Kanawha, Nicholas & Roane.
Below are the counties that are near Porter. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Porter:
- Clay County (The home county of Porter)
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Procious
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Bomont
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bomont is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
- Elkhurst
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Valley Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Hartland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Clay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Spread
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Gould
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Dink
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Harrison
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Ira
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Lydia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Elmira
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Strange Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Clem
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Frametown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Rockton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Herold
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Wilsie
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Canfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Progress ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Gassaway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Oka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Mudfork
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Stinson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Losie ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Beech
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Pink
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Pink is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Orma
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Arnoldsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Rocksdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
- Hur
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Cannelton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Cannelton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
- Crescent
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Crescent is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Gauley Bridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Montgomery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Smithers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Romont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Romont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
- Kimberly
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Kimberly is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
- Mount Carbon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
- Falls View
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Falls View is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
- Leander
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Ansted
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Shock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Stumptown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Normantown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Fletcher
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fletcher is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Romance
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Romance is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
- Kentuck
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Kentuck is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Aplin ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Aplin is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
- Kenna
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Statts Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
- Fairplain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fairplain is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
- Hereford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hereford is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Wellford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Clendenin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Reamer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Reamer is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamer
- Falling Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Falling Rock is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Rock
- Youngs Bottom
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Youngs Bottom is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs Bottom
- Coco
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Three Mile
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Three Mile is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Mile
- Elkview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarretts Ford
- Pinch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pinch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinch
- Wills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Wills is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wills
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Dixie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Dixie is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Beech Glen
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Tipton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Tipton is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Zela
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Albion ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Albion is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Muddlety
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Summersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Birch River
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Liberty
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Sigman
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sigman is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
- Paradise
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Paradise is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Poca
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Raymond City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Raymond City is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Pigeon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Kester ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Looneyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Walton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Roxalana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Rushville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Cicerone
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cicerone is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Graux
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Zona
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Flint Town
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Flint Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Porter, see our County-by-County Page for Porter.
Cemeteries Near Porter ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Porter.
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 Porter - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Porter covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Smith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- White Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Harper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Naylor Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Dulls Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Harper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Samples Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Thompson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Myers Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rolling Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shamlin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (586 more) ...
- Hindsman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Deverick Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Taylor Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylor Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Taylor Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the northeast of Clendenin.
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 Porter in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Porter.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Porter, with the one closest to Porter listed first.
- Procious
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Pigeon
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Osbornes Mills
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Osbornes Mills is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osbornes Mills
- Wellford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Amma
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Amma is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amma
- Clendenin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gazil ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gazil is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gazil
- Clio
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Clio is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
- Valley Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Odell
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Odell is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
- Newton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Newton is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Kester ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Coco
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Kendalia
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Kendalia is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendalia
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Porter. See our List of 1890's Communities around Porter.
Newspapers Published in Porter ...
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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Porter.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Porter, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Porter.
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 professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Porter:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Fayette County
- Gilmer County
- Jackson County
- Kanawha County
- Nicholas County
- Putnam County
- Roane County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
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> | 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- Porter) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Porter, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |