Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
Although we found mention of Rand during our research, we have little information about it.<1> Given the context of how Rand was mentioned, we believe that it was a community rather than a locale or some type of landmark. We have done a cursory search and if it was a community, we haven't been able to find any evidence that it still exists..
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 Rand (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 Rand. 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.
Rand is located in Kanawha 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 Rand. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rand:
- Kanawha County (The home county of Rand)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Clendenin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wellford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Reamer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Reamer is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamer
- Falling Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Falling Rock is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Rock
- Youngs Bottom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Youngs Bottom is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs Bottom
- Coco
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Three Mile
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Three Mile is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Mile
- Elkview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarretts Ford
- Wills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Wills is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wills
- Pinch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pinch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinch
- Aarons
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Aarons is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Elmira
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Strange Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Clem
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Rockton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Frametown
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Herold
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Wilsie
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Progress ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Canfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Gassaway
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chapel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Chapel is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chapel
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Oka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Mudfork
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Stinson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Losie ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Beech
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Orma
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Pink
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Pink is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
- Arnoldsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Rocksdale
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
- Hur
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Russet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Porter
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Porter is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Procious
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Bomont
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bomont is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
- Elkhurst
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Valley Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Clay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Spread
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Hartland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Dink
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Gould
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Harrison
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Ira
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Lydia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Cannelton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Cannelton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
- Montgomery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Smithers
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Crescent
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Crescent is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Gauley Bridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Romont
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Romont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
- Kimberly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Kimberly is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
- Mount Carbon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
- Leander
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Ansted
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Falls View
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Falls View is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
- Elliot ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elliot is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Shock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Stumptown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Normantown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand 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 west)
- 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
(24 miles [38.6 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
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hereford is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
- Liverpool
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Liverpool is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Dixie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dixie is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Beech Glen
(19 miles [30.6 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
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Albion ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 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
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Birch River
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Summersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Liberty
(27 miles [43.5 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 Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Pigeon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Kester ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Looneyville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Roxalana
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Walton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rushville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Cicerone
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cicerone is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Graux
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Zona
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Spencer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Flint Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Flint Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
- Wirt County
- Creston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Creston is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rand, see our County-by-County Page for Rand.
Cemeteries Near Rand ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rand.
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 Rand - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rand covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Smith Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- White Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Harper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Harper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Naylor Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Samples Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Dulls Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Reed Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Myers Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rolling Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Shamlin Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (586 more) ...
- Thompson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Amma Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Hall Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
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 Rand in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rand.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rand, with the one closest to Rand listed first.
- Procious
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Pigeon
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Amma
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Amma is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amma
- Osbornes Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Osbornes Mills is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osbornes Mills
- Clendenin
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Clio
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Clio is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clio
- Wellford
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Newton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Newton is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Valley Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Kester ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Gazil ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gazil is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gazil
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Odell
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Odell is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell
- Coco
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Looneyville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rand. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rand.
Newspapers Published in Rand ...
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 Rand.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rand, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rand.
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 Rand:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Kanawha County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Fayette County
- Gilmer County
- Jackson County
- Nicholas County
- Putnam County
- Roane County
- Wirt County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If we encounter the name of what might be a community, our methodology is to add that name to our Gazetteer. For example, we might find a sentence like "He went south past Rand and then turned east". While Rand could be some kind of landmark, we think that it's more likely to be a community. We've added Rand as a placeholder with the hope that we'll be able to add more information in the future.
Just as a reminder: Our definition of a community is rather broad and includes those places (or areas) where several families lived and had a name which identified that place. For example, you might hear somebody say that they are going over to Miller Creek to see Pete ... Miller Creek is just a gas station and a couple of homes at the crossroads. While it might not be on the map, everybody in the area knows it by that name.
Places of interest include buildings at a crossroad, several families clustered in a hollow or maybe the location of a way station. It also includes places like mines, lumber camps, ferry crossings, etc. The community might still exist, is now gone or only existed for just a short period of time.
Also keep in mind that Rand could have been on the original document by mistake, misspelled, the original/alternate name of a community that we've listed elsewhere or was placed in the wrong county. Sometimes a post office or train station would have a different name than the community where it's located, so two names might be referring to the same community - we're working to straighten it all out.
Since confusion between counties is common, we searched and weren't able to find another West Virginia community named Rand. |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Rand, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Rand) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |