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 Ruthbelle (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 Ruthbelle. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Ruthbelle is located in Preston 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 Preston County: Garrett (MD), Fayette (PA), Barbour, Grant, Monongalia, Taylor & Tucker.
Below are the counties that are near Ruthbelle. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ruthbelle:
- Preston County (The home county of Ruthbelle)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Albright
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Kingwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Lenox
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lenox is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Heathers Run
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Heathers Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathers Run
- Morgans Glade
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Orr
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Orr is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Terra Alta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Little Sandy
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Little Sandy is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
- Rockville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rockville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Salt Lick
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Salt Lick is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Lick
- Masontown
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Reedsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Kasson
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Kasson is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Valley Furnace
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Valley Furnace is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Furnace
- Clemtown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Clemtown is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemtown
- Arden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arden is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Pleasant Creek ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Creek is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Creek
- Kalamazoo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kalamazoo is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
- Adaland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Adaland is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adaland
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Wilson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Bayard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bayard is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Dobbin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Dobbin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Neel ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Neel is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neel
- Hebron
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Hebron is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- Samaria
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Samaria is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
- Canton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Canton is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
- Mount Harmony
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Mount Harmony is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Harmony
- Hammond
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hammond is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
- Pleasant View
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Pleasant View is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Rivesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Colfax
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Colfax is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
- Fairmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Palatine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Palatine is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palatine
- Pleasant Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,141 people
- Mineral County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Schell
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Harrison
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Elk Garden
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Shaw
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- Sulphur City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sulphur City is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur City
- Windom ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Windom is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Hartmansville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hartmansville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartmansville
- Monongalia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Brookhaven
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
- Cheat Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
- Canyon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Canyon is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
- Morgantown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Baker Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
- Westover
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Little Falls
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Little Falls is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Falls
- Laurel Point
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Laurel Point is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Point
- Granville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Granville is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,156 people
- Star City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Star City is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
- Smithtown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Smithtown is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithtown
- Osage
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Osage is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Thornton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Thornton is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Knottsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Knottsville is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knottsville
- Fetterman
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Fetterman is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fetterman
- Grafton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- West Grafton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- West Grafton is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Grafton
- Stone House ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stone House is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone House
- Yates ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Yates is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Pruntytown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pruntytown is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruntytown
- Webster
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Webster is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Brydon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Brydon is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brydon
- Flemington
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flemington is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flemington
- Population from the 2020 Census: 306 people
- Tucker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Pierce
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pierce is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
- Coketon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Coketon is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
- Thomas
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Davis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Parsons
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Hambleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hambleton is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hambleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Hendricks
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hendricks is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Porterwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Porterwood is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterwood
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Hutton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Oakland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
- McHenry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mountain Lake Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain Lake Park is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,065 people
- Friendsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Loch Lynn Heights
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Loch Lynn Heights is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loch Lynn Heights
- Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
- Deer Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Red House
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Red House is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red House
- Accident
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Altamont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Fort Pendleton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton
- Wilson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Fayette County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Elliottsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Elliottsville is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
- Markleysburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Haydentown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Haydentown is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydentown
- Morris Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Morris Crossroads is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morris Crossroads
- Point Marion
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Farmington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Smithfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Atlantic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Atlantic is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic
- New Geneva
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- New Geneva is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Geneva
- Winstead
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Winstead is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winstead
- Hutchinson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Hutchinson is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchinson
- Greene County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Dilliner
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Dilliner is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
- Dunkard
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Dunkard is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkard
- Greensboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Morris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Nemacolin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Ceylon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ceylon is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
- Somerset County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Addison
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ursina
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Listonburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Listonburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
- Confluence
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Draketown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ruthbelle, see our County-by-County Page for Ruthbelle.
Cemeteries Near Ruthbelle ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruthbelle.
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 Ruthbelle - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ruthbelle covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Albright - St. Joe Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Beech Run Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dinkerberger Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Kingwood Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Lenox Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Miller Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Parnell Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Howesville UMC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Cobun Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (346 more) ...
- Lake Ford UMC Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ford UMC Cemetery
- The Lake Ford UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Lake Ford Cemetery
- Reedsville Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- West Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<3>
While we didn't find Ruthbelle in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ruthbelle.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ruthbelle, with the one closest to Ruthbelle listed first.
- Albright
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Kingwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Snider
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Snider is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snider
- Dority
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Dority is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dority
- Lenox
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lenox is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Guseman ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Guseman is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guseman
- Valley Point
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Valley Point is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Point
- Herring
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Herring is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herring
- Morgans Glade
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Howesville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Howesville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howesville
- Terra Alta
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hudson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hudson is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Cuzzart
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cuzzart is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuzzart
- Jessop
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jessop is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessop
- Amblersburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Amblersburg is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amblersburg
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ruthbelle. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ruthbelle.
Newspapers Published in Ruthbelle ...
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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruthbelle.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruthbelle, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruthbelle.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Ruthbelle:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Preston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Grant County
- Marion County
- Mineral County
- Monongalia County
- Taylor County
- Tucker County
- Garrett County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Somerset 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 Ruthbelle, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Ruthbelle) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |