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 Ranger (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 Ranger. 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.
Ranger is located in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County: Boone, Cabell, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, Putnam & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Ranger. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ranger:
- Lincoln County (The home county of Ranger)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Wewanta
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Wewanta is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wewanta
- Spears ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Spears is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spears
- Kinder ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Kinder is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinder
- Harts
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Palermo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Palermo is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
- Sheridan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sheridan is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Myra
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Myra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Hamlin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- West Hamlin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- West Hamlin is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Hamlin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 689 people
- Sweetland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Yawkey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
- Alkol
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Alkol is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Layville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Layville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Layville
- Morrisvale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Morrisvale is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrisvale
- Dodson Junction
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Dodson Junction is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson Junction
- Woodville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Woodville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Manila
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Manila is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manila
- Turtle Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Turtle Creek is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Creek
- Harless
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Harless is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harless
- Horse Creek Junction
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Julian
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Julian is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
- Rock Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Rock Creek is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
- Danville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Havana
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Havana is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
- Cabell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Salt Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sarah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sarah is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
- Fudges Creek
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
- Melissa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Melissa is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melissa
- Barboursville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Culloden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Culloden is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
- Milton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Ona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pea Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pea Ridge is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
- Hodges
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hodges is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hodges
- Wilson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Wilson is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Reid
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Reid is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reid
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Tornado
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Tornado is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
- Saint Albans
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sattes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sattes is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
- Jefferson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Nitro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Lake Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
- Ruth
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Cross Lanes
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dunbar
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- South Charleston
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Logan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Big Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Big Creek is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Creek
- Banco
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Banco is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banco
- Whirlwind
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Whirlwind is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whirlwind
- Chapmanville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mitchell Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mitchell Heights is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 274 people
- Troy Town
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Troy Town is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Troy Town
- Hedgeview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hedgeview is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hedgeview
- Peach Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Peach Creek is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peach Creek
- Thompson Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thompson Town is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Town
- West Logan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Holden
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Holden is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holden
- Logan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mingo County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Dingess
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dingess is located in Mingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dingess
- Greyeagle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greyeagle is located in Mingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greyeagle
- Kermit
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Myrtle
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Myrtle is located in Mingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Delbarton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Chattaroy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chattaroy is located in Mingo County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattaroy
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Hurricane
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Teays Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Teays Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
- Scott Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Scott Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
- Teays Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Landing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Cove Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cove Gap is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- Nestlow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Nestlow is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nestlow
- Kiahsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Kiahsville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiahsville
- East Lynn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- East Lynn is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
- Armilda
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Armilda is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armilda
- Doane
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Doane is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doane
- Wilsondale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wilsondale is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsondale
- Dunlow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dunlow is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunlow
- Wayne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Echo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Echo is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
- Effie
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Effie is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Effie
- Stonecoal
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stonecoal is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonecoal
- Boyd County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Durbin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Durbin is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbin
- Lockwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lockwood is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lockwood
- Big Sandy
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Big Sandy is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
- Catlettsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Boltsfork
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Boltsfork is located in Boyd County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boltsfork
- Lawrence County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Clifford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Clifford is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifford
- Maynard ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Maynard is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
- Louisa
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Walbridge ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Walbridge is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walbridge
- Catalpa ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Catalpa is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catalpa
- Torchlight ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Torchlight is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Torchlight
- Zelda ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Zelda is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zelda
- Buchanan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Buchanan is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan
- Gallup ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Gallup is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallup
- Potters
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Potters is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potters
- Five Forks
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Five Forks is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Smoky Valley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Smoky Valley is located in Lawrence County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smoky Valley
- Martin County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Hode
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hode is located in Martin County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hode
- Beauty
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Beauty is located in Martin County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauty
- Lovely
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Lovely is located in Martin County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovely
- Warfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pilgrim
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pilgrim is located in Martin County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim
- Inez
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Debord
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tomahawk
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tomahawk is located in Martin County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
- Lawrence County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Proctorville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Chesapeake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rockwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rockwood is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
- Sybene
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sybene is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sybene
- Athalia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Athalia is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Burlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Burlington is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
- South Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ranger, see our County-by-County Page for Ranger.
Cemeteries Near Ranger ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ranger.
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 Ranger - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ranger covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Hatfield Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Baker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Fulks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Saunders Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Dean Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Adkins Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Saunders Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Brewster Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lunsard Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Peyton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- McCallister Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Peyton Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (947 more) ...
- Works Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Murphy Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Dyer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>
While we didn't find Ranger in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ranger.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ranger, with the one closest to Ranger listed first.
- Fourteen ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fourteen is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fourteen
- Cove Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Cove Gap is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove Gap
- Jenks
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jenks is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jenks
- Kiahsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Kiahsville is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiahsville
- Spurlockville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Spurlockville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurlockville
- Myra
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Myra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Sheridan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sheridan is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
- Gilkerson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gilkerson is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilkerson
- East Lynn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- East Lynn is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lynn
- Hamlin
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Sweetland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Bartram ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bartram is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bartram
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Ferguson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Ferguson is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ferguson
- Chapmanville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Griffithsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Griffithsville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griffithsville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ranger. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ranger.
Newspapers Published in Ranger ...
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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ranger.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ranger, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ranger.
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 Ranger:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Lincoln County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cabell County
- Kanawha County
- Logan County
- Mingo County
- Putnam County
- Wayne County
- Boyd County
- Lawrence County
- Martin County
- Lawrence 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> | 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 Ranger, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <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- Ranger) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |