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 Rock Branch (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 Rock Branch. 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.
Name Variations for Rock Branch ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rock Branch: Rock Br. (or less commonly used: Rock Brnch.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rock Branch. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rock Branch.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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 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.
Rock Branch is located in Putnam 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 Putnam County: Cabell, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln & Mason.
Below are the counties that are near Rock Branch. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rock Branch:
- Putnam County (The home county of Rock Branch)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Poca
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Raymond City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Raymond City is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
- Morgans Landing
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
- Bancroft
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bancroft is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
- Scott Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Scott Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
- Teays Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Teays Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Teays Village is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
- Red House
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Winfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Eleanor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Paradise
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Paradise is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Sigman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Sigman is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
- Boone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Emmons
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Emmons is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emmons
- Grippe
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Grippe is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grippe
- Dartmont
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dartmont is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dartmont
- Ashford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Horse Creek Junction
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rumble
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rumble is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
- Brushton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Brushton is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushton
- Easly
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Easly is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easly
- Harless
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Harless is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harless
- Julian
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Julian is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
- Nellis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Nellis is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellis
- Woodville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Woodville is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Cabell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Culloden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Culloden is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
- Milton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Yates Crossing
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Yates Crossing is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Crossing
- Fudges Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
- Ona
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Salt Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Barboursville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sarah
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Sarah is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
- Crown City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Crown City is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
- Pea Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Pea Ridge is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pea Ridge
- Melissa
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Melissa is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melissa
- Wilson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Cabell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Clay County
- Porter
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Porter is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Romance
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Romance is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
- Kenna
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Kentuck
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Kentuck is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Fletcher
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fletcher is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Fairplain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Fairplain is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
- Statts Mills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
- Aplin ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Aplin is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
- Angerona
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Angerona is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angerona
- Huntsville ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Huntsville is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
- Ripley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hereford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hereford is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
- Flatwoods
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Flatwoods is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatwoods
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Nitro
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Cross Lanes
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Sattes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sattes is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
- Saint Albans
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jefferson
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
- Tornado
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tornado is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
- Dunbar
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Lake Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
- South Charleston
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Elk
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Elk is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
- Ruth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Ruth is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Legg
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Legg is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Alum Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Garretts Bend
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
- Priestley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Priestley is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
- Sod
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Sod is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
- Tango
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Tango is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
- East ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- East is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
- Sweetland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
- Yawkey
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
- Portersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Portersville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
- Hamlin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Alkol
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Alkol is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
- Myra
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Myra is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Upland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Upland is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
- Grimms Landing
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
- Arbuckle
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Arbuckle is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
- Southside
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Southside is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
- Leon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Leon is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Baden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Baden is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Apple Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Apple Grove is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Arlee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Arlee is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlee
- Fivemile
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fivemile is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivemile
- Hogsett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hogsett is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogsett
- Brighton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Brighton is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
- Flatrock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Flatrock is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatrock
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Cicerone
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cicerone is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Walton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Flint Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Flint Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
- Zona
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Kester ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Gallia County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Bladen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bladen is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladen
- Eureka
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Eureka is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Crown City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Crown City is located in Gallia County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 399 people
- Lawrence County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Athalia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Athalia is located in Lawrence County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Athalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Proctorville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rock Branch, see our County-by-County Page for Rock Branch.
Cemeteries Near Rock Branch ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rock Branch.
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 Rock Branch - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rock Branch covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Burdette Lilly Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette Lilly Cemetery
- The Burdette Lilly Cemetery has also been known as:
- Thacker Cemetery
- Lilly Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Cartwright Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Showen Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Teays Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- College Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cunningham Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Bangor Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lanham Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rocky Fork Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Lawrence Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Continue List (833 more) ...
- Hodges Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Dunlap Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Donel C. Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
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 Rock Branch in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rock Branch.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rock Branch, with the one closest to Rock Branch listed first.
- Poca
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Scary
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Scary is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scary
- Raymond City
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Raymond City is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
- Sattes
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sattes is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
- Bancroft
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Bancroft is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
- Saint Albans
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Plymouth
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Plymouth is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
- Rocky Fork
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Rocky Fork is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Fork
- Tornado
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Tornado is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tornado
- Spring Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mound ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mound is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
- Red House
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Winfield
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Teays
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Confidence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Confidence is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Confidence
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rock Branch. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rock Branch.
Newspapers Published in Rock Branch ...
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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rock Branch.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rock Branch, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rock Branch.
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 websites either 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 Rock Branch:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Putnam County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Cabell County
- Clay County
- Jackson County
- Kanawha County
- Lincoln County
- Mason County
- Roane County
- Gallia 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> | 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 Rock Branch, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Rock Branch) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |