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 Preston (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 Preston. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Preston is located in Preston 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 Preston County: Garrett (MD), Fayette (PA), Barbour, Grant, Monongalia, Taylor & Tucker.
Below are the counties that are near Preston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Preston:
- Preston County (The home county of Preston)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Heathers Run
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Heathers Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathers Run
- Kingwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Albright
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tunnelton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Salt Lick
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Salt Lick is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Lick
- Rowlesburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Terra Alta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Arthurdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Reedsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Macomber
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Macomber is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomber
- Threefork Bridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Threefork Bridge is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Threefork Bridge
- Newburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Kasson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Kasson is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Valley Furnace
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Furnace is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Furnace
- Clemtown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clemtown is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemtown
- Arden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Arden is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Pleasant Creek ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Creek is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Creek
- Kalamazoo
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Kalamazoo is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
- Meriden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Meriden is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meriden
- Vannoys Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Vannoys Mill is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannoys Mill
- Adaland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Adaland is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaland
- Berryburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Berryburg is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryburg
- Philippi
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Calhoun
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Calhoun is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Dobbin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dobbin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
- Wilson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Bayard
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bayard is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Neel ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Neel is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neel
- Hebron
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hebron is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Samaria
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Samaria is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
- Canton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Canton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Mount Harmony
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Harmony is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Harmony
- Hammond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hammond is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Colfax
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Colfax is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
- Rivesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fairmont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Palatine
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Palatine is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palatine
- Pleasant Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,141 people
- Pleasant View
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Pleasant View is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Mineral County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Schell
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Harrison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Elk Garden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hartmansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Hartmansville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartmansville
- Shaw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Sulphur City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Sulphur City is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur City
- Monongalia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Brookhaven
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
- Cheat Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
- Little Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Little Falls is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls
- Canyon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Canyon is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
- Morgantown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Westover
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Smithtown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Smithtown is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithtown
- Baker Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
- Laurel Point
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Point is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Point
- Granville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Granville is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,156 people
- Star City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Star City is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
- Osage
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Osage is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Montrose
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Montrose is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Pettit ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Pettit is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettit
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Thornton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Thornton is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Knottsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Knottsville is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knottsville
- Sandy ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Grafton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fetterman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Fetterman is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fetterman
- West Grafton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- West Grafton is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Grafton
- Stone House ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stone House is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone House
- Yates ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Yates is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Webster
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Webster is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Brydon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brydon is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brydon
- Pruntytown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pruntytown is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruntytown
- Flemington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Flemington is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Tucker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Pierce
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Pierce is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
- Coketon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Coketon is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
- Thomas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Parsons
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hambleton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Hambleton is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hambleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Davis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hendricks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hendricks is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Porterwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Porterwood is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterwood
- Pleasant Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Run is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
- Elk
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Elk is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
- Gladwin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Gladwin is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
- Canaan Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Hutton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Oakland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
- Red House
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Red House is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red House
- Loch Lynn Heights
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Loch Lynn Heights is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lynn Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
- Mountain Lake Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mountain Lake Park is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
- Deer Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- McHenry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Pendleton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton
- Wilson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Altamont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Friendsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Accident
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Fayette County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Elliottsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Elliottsville is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
- Morris Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Morris Crossroads is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Crossroads
- Point Marion
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Haydentown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Haydentown is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydentown
- Markleysburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Smithfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Winstead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Winstead is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstead
- Farmington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Atlantic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Atlantic is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
- New Geneva
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- New Geneva is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Geneva
- Shoaf
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Shoaf is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoaf
- Greene County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Dilliner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dilliner is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
- Dunkard
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dunkard is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkard
- Greensboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Morris
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Somerset County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Addison
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ursina
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Listonburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Listonburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Preston, see our County-by-County Page for Preston.
Cemeteries Near Preston ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Preston.
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 Preston - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Preston covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Wilson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Cobun Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Kingwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Miller Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- West Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dinkerberger Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Albright - St. Joe Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Howesville UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sanders Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Denver Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (327 more) ...
- Pratt Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Concord Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Knotts Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
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 Preston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Preston.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Preston, with the one closest to Preston listed first.
- Snider
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Snider is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snider
- Kingwood
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Howesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Howesville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howesville
- Jessop
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jessop is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessop
- Tunnelton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Amblersburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Amblersburg is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amblersburg
- Albright
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- West End
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- West End is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West End
- Austen
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Austen is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austen
- Rowlesburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Herring
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Herring is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
- Terra Alta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Macomber
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Macomber is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomber
- Dority
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Dority is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dority
- Reedsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Preston. See our List of 1890's Communities around Preston.
Newspapers Published in Preston ...
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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Preston.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Preston, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Preston.
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 Preston:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Preston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Grant County
- Marion County
- Mineral County
- Monongalia County
- Randolph County
- Taylor County
- Tucker County
- Garrett County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Somerset 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> | 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 Preston, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Preston) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |