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 Salem (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 Salem. 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.
Salem 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 Salem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Salem:
- Preston County (The home county of Salem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Clifton Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Clifton Mills is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
- Brandonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brandonville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Hazelton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bruceton Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Little Sandy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Little Sandy is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Sandy
- Morgans Glade
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Rockville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rockville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Lenox
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lenox is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
- Orr
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Orr is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orr
- Albright
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Masontown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kingwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Marion County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Mount Harmony
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Harmony is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Harmony
- Neel ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Neel is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neel
- Pleasant View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pleasant View is located in Marion County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Mineral County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Harrison
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Harrison is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Schell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Windom ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Windom is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Monongalia County
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Cheat Lake
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Cheat Lake is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheat Lake
- Canyon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Canyon is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon
- Brookhaven
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Brookhaven is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
- Baker Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Baker Ridge is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker Ridge
- Morgantown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Star City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Star City is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,984 people
- Westover
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Granville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Granville is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,156 people
- Maidsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Maidsville is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maidsville
- Bowlby
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Bowlby is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowlby
- Laurel Point
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Laurel Point is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Point
- Osage
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Osage is located in Monongalia County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osage
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Friendsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Accident
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- McHenry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Bittinger
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Hutton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Grantsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Oakland
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Deer Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain Lake Park
(23 miles [37 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
- Altamont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Loch Lynn Heights
(24 miles [38.6 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
- Swanton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fayette County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Elliottsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Elliottsville is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
- Markleysburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Washington is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Washington
- Haydentown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Haydentown is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haydentown
- Ohiopyle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Hopwood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hutchinson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hutchinson is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchinson
- Smithfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- East Uniontown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Uniontown is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Uniontown
- Leith
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Leith is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leith
- Evans
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Evans is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans
- Greene County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Dilliner
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dilliner is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dilliner
- Greensboro
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Nemacolin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Nemacolin is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nemacolin
- Dunkard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Dunkard is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunkard
- Ceylon
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Ceylon is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceylon
- Stringtown
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Stringtown is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stringtown
- Carmichaels
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Cumberland Village is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Fairdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fairdale is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairdale
- Mount Morris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Khedive
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Khedive is located in Greene County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Khedive
- Rices Landing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Somerset County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Addison
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ursina
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ursina is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ursina
- Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
- Confluence
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Listonburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Listonburg is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Listonburg
- Draketown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Draketown is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draketown
- Markleton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Casselman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Casselman is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casselman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- New Lexington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New Lexington is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Lexington
- West Salisbury
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- West Salisbury is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salisbury
- Coal Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Coal Run is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Run
- New Centerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- New Centerville is located in Somerset County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Centerville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 127 people
- Rockwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Washington County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Blainsburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Blainsburg is located in Washington County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blainsburg
- West Brownsville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- West Brownsville is located in Washington County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Brownsville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 960 people
- California
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fredericktown - Millsboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Millsboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allenport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Coal Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Daisytown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Speers
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Speers is located in Washington County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speers
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,061 people
- Westmoreland County (PA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Scottdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Hawkeye
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Hawkeye is located in Westmoreland County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkeye
- Iron Bridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Iron Bridge is located in Westmoreland County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Bridge
- West Overton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- West Overton is located in Westmoreland County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Overton
- Alverton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Alverton is located in Westmoreland County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alverton
- Donegal
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Joy
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Joy is located in Westmoreland County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Joy
- Mount Pleasant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Salem, see our County-by-County Page for Salem.
Cemeteries Near Salem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Salem.
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 Salem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Salem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Shady Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Teets Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Van Sickle Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Webb Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Visitation Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Brown Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Thomas Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Workman Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Savage Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sand Spring Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Thomas Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (325 more) ...
- Sansom Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- East View Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
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 Salem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Salem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Salem, with the one closest to Salem listed first.
- Clifton Mills
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Clifton Mills is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton Mills
- Gibbon Glade
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Gibbon Glade is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibbon Glade
- Glade Farms
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Glade Farms is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade Farms
- Brandonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brandonville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 105 people
- Bruceton Mills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Elliottsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Elliottsville is located in Fayette County (PA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliottsville
- Morgans Glade
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Morgans Glade is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Glade
- Cuzzart
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cuzzart is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuzzart
- Markleysburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Farmington
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Rockville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Rockville is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockville
- Hudson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Valley Point
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Valley Point is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Point
- Guseman ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Guseman is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guseman
- Lenox
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lenox is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenox
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Salem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Salem.
Newspapers Published in Salem ...
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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Salem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Salem, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Salem.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Salem:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Preston County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Marion County
- Mineral County
- Monongalia County
- Garrett County
- Fayette County
- Greene County
- Somerset County
- Washington County
- Westmoreland 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 Salem, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Salem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |