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Home >> State of West Virginia >> Kanawha County >> Rocky Fork >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Rocky Fork (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 Rocky Fork. 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 Rocky Fork ...

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 Rocky Fork: Rocky Frk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rocky Fork. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rocky Fork.

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 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.

Rocky Fork 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 Rocky Fork. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rocky Fork:

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Rocky Fork)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Cross Lanes
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Legg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Legg is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
    • Dunbar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jefferson
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson
    • Nitro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Nitro is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nitro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,285 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nitro <1>
    • Sattes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
    • Sissonville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Rock Lake Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Rock Lake Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Lake Village
    • South Charleston
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Elk
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Elk is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
    • Saint Albans
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Airport Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Airport Village is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airport Village
      • Airport Village has also been known as:
      • Airport
    • Charleston
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork 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
    • Rumble
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Rumble is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumble
    • Ashford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Brushton
      (19 miles [30.6 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
    • Horse Creek Junction
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Horse Creek Junction is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek Junction
    • Johns
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Johns is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johns
    • Julian
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Julian is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Julian
    • Nellis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Nellis is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nellis
    • Peytona
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Peytona is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytona
    • Racine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
  • Cabell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Culloden
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Culloden is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Culloden
    • Milton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Yates Crossing
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Yates Crossing is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates Crossing
    • Fudges Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Fudges Creek is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fudges Creek
    • Ona
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Salt Rock
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Sarah
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Sarah is located in Cabell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sarah
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Porter
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Bomont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Procious
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Elkhurst
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cannelton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Smithers
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Romance
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
    • Kenna
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Fletcher
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fletcher is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Kentuck
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Kentuck is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
    • Fairplain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Fairplain is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
    • Statts Mills
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
    • Aplin ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Aplin is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
    • Hereford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Hereford is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
    • Ripley
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • 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
    • Flatwoods
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Flatwoods is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatwoods
    • Millwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Millwood is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Garretts Bend
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Priestley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Tango
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • East ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Yawkey
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
    • Sweetland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Sweetland is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetland
    • Alkol
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • Hamlin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Portersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Portersville is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portersville
    • Myra
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Myra is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myra
    • Palermo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Palermo is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palermo
  • Mason County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Grimms Landing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
    • Upland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Upland is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upland
    • Arbuckle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Arbuckle is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
    • Southside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Southside is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
    • Leon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Leon is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
    • Baden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Baden is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
    • Arlee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Arlee is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlee
    • Apple Grove
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Apple Grove is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
    • Fivemile
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fivemile is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fivemile
    • Brighton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Brighton is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brighton
    • Hogsett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Hogsett is located in Mason County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hogsett
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Poca
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Raymond City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Morgans Landing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Bancroft
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Sigman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Paradise
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Paradise is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
    • Liberty
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Liberty is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Red House
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Winfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Scott Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Teays Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Teays Village
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
    • Eleanor
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Cicerone
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Woodyard ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodyard is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
    • Walton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Flint Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Flint Town is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
    • Zona
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Zona is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Looneyville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Rushville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rushville is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
    • Pigeon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Roxalana
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Roxalana is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
  • Gallia County (OH)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rocky Fork, with the one closest to Rocky Fork listed first.
    • Bladen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bladen is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladen
    • Eureka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Eureka is located in Gallia County (OH)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka

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

Cemeteries Near Rocky Fork ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocky Fork.

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 Rocky Fork - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Rocky Fork Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Sam Derrick Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Lanham Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Goff Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • McClanahan Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Tyler Mtn. Memory Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Shorts Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Altz Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Brick Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Casdorph Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Thaxton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (774 more) ...
    • Good Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Sinclair Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Floral Hills Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Rocky Fork had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Pocatalico
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Pocatalico is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocatalico
  • Mound ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Mound is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound
  • Raymond City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
  • Poca
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Sattes
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Sattes is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sattes
  • Spring Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Legg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Legg is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
  • Saint Albans
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Sissonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Plymouth
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Plymouth is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plymouth
  • Bancroft
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
  • Scary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Scary is located in Putnam County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scary
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sigman
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Davis Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Davis Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Creek
    • Mink ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Mink is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mink

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

Newspapers Published in Rocky Fork ...

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 101 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocky Fork.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocky Fork, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rocky Fork.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with 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 Rocky Fork:

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 Rocky Fork, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rocky Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.