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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 Ravenswood (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 Ravenswood. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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 west 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.

Ravenswood is located in Jackson County.

To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Jackson County: Meigs (OH), Kanawha, Mason, Putnam, Roane, Wirt & Wood.

Below are the counties that are near Ravenswood. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ravenswood:

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Ravenswood)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.
    • Sherman
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Skull Run
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Skull Run. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skull Run
      • Skull Run is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Skull Run
      • From Ravenswood to Skull Run
    • Wilding
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Willow Grove ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
      • Willow Grove is located in Jackson County
    • Flatwoods
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Odaville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Willowdale
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willowdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowdale
      • Willowdale is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Willowdale
      • From Ravenswood to Willowdale
    • Sandyville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Medina
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Medina. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medina
      • Medina is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Medina
      • From Ravenswood to Medina
    • Browning ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Browning have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Browning
      • Browning is located in Jackson County
    • Millwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Millwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
      • Millwood is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Millwood
      • From Ravenswood to Millwood
    • Angerona
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Angerona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angerona
      • Angerona is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Angerona
      • From Ravenswood to Angerona
  • Calhoun County
    • Rocksdale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rocksdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
      • Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rocksdale
      • From Ravenswood to Rocksdale
  • Kanawha County
  • Mason County
  • Putnam County
  • Ritchie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.
    • Cisco
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cisco. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
      • Cisco is located in Ritchie County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cisco
      • From Ravenswood to Cisco
    • Rusk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rusk. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
      • Rusk is located in Ritchie County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rusk
      • From Ravenswood to Rusk
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.
    • Reedy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reedy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy
      • Reedy is located in Roane County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Flint Town
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
      • Flint Town is located in Roane County
    • Millard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millard
      • Millard is located in Roane County
    • Zona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Zona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
      • Zona is located in Roane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Zona
      • From Ravenswood to Zona
    • Spencer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodyard ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodyard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
      • Woodyard is located in Roane County
    • Triplett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Triplett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
      • Triplett is located in Roane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Triplett
      • From Ravenswood to Triplett
    • Cicerone
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
    • Rushville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rushville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
      • Rushville is located in Roane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rushville
      • From Ravenswood to Rushville
    • Graux
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Graux. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
      • Graux is located in Roane County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Graux
      • From Ravenswood to Graux
    • Walton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Wirt County
  • Wood County
  • Athens County (OH)
  • Gallia County (OH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.
    • Carlton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Cheshire
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Kyger
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Gallipolis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Westbrook Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Village
      • Westbrook Village is located in Gallia County (OH)
    • Mills Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mills Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mills Village
      • Mills Village is located in Gallia County (OH)
    • Kerr
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bladen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Eureka
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eureka. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Eureka
      • From Ravenswood to Eureka
    • Rodney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Vinton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinton
      • Vinton is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 208 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vinton <3>
  • Meigs County (OH)
  • Washington County (OH)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ravenswood, see our County-by-County Page for Ravenswood.

Cemeteries Near Ravenswood ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ravenswood.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ravenswood covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.

  • Ravenswood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • DeBussey Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the DeBussey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the DeBussey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martin Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stanley Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stanley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stanley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Engle Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Engle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Engle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rardon Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rardon Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rardon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Safreed Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Safreed Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Safreed Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethlehem Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethlehem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McKay Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McKay Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McKay Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Middleswart Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middleswart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middleswart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wooley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wooley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wooley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Barley Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Barley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Barley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (840 more) ...
    • Lathem Ridge Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lathem Ridge Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lathem Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Beckwith Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beckwith Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beckwith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Rankin Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rankin Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rankin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ravenswood had a population of 817 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Ravenswood had a population of 3,616 people.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Ravenswood, with the one closest to Ravenswood listed first.

  • Pleasant View
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
    • Pleasant View is located in Jackson County
  • Sherman
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Great Bend
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Great Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Great Bend
    • Great Bend is located in Meigs County (OH)
  • Silverton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverton
    • Silverton is located in Jackson County
  • Nesselroad ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nesselroad have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nesselroad
    • Nesselroad is located in Jackson County
  • Skull Run
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Skull Run. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skull Run
    • Skull Run is located in Jackson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Skull Run
    • From Ravenswood to Skull Run
  • Portland
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Saxon
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saxon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxon
    • Saxon is located in Meigs County (OH)
  • Willow Grove ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Grove
    • Willow Grove is located in Jackson County
  • Wilding
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Ripley Landing
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ripley Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripley Landing
    • Ripley Landing is located in Jackson County
  • Hazael
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazael have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazael
    • Hazael is located in Meigs County (OH)
  • Continue List   (20 more) ...

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ravenswood. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ravenswood.

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ravenswood ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ravenswood.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ravenswood. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ravenswood and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ravenswood.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<6> of Ravenswood.

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 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 Ravenswood:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ravenswood. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 Ravenswood, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ravenswood) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ravenswood. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.9571, Longitude: -81.7643    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025