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Home >> State of West Virginia >> Kanawha County >> Shrewsbury >> 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 Shrewsbury (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 Shrewsbury. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

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

  • Kanawha County     (The home county of Shrewsbury)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Cabin Creek
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Cabin Creek is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin Creek
    • East Bank
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
    • Dry Branch
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
    • Chelyan
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Chelyan is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chelyan
    • Glasgow
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Cedar Grove
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • Witcher
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Witcher is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Witcher
    • Ronda
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Ronda is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
    • Chesapeake
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Chesapeake is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesapeake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,393 people
    • Hollygrove
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Hollygrove is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollygrove
      • Hollygrove has also been known as:
      • Hollygrove Station
      • Hudnall
    • Pratt
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Pratt is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Belle
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Belle is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belle
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,108 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belle <1>
  • Boone County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Bloomingrose
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Bloomingrose is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingrose
    • Comfort
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Joes Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Joes Creek is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joes Creek
    • Coopertown
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Coopertown is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopertown
    • Eden
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Eden is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Fosterville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Fosterville is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosterville
    • Kirbyton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Kirbyton is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirbyton
    • Seth
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sharlow
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sharlow is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharlow
    • Orgas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Orgas is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgas
    • Racine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Racine is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Racine
    • Hopkins Fork
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Hopkins Fork is located in Boone County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopkins Fork
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Bomont
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Bomont is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
    • Porter
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Porter is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
    • Elkhurst
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
    • Procious
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Procious is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
    • Hartland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Hartland is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
    • Clay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Spread
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Spread is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
    • Valley Fork
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Fork is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
  • Fayette County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Montgomery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Cannelton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Cannelton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
    • Crescent
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Smithers
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Kimberly
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Kimberly is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimberly
    • Mount Carbon
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Carbon is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carbon
    • Powellton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
    • Elkridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkridge is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkridge
    • Falls View
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls View is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls View
    • McDunn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • McDunn is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDunn
    • Gauley Bridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Beckwith
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Jackson County
    • Romance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Romance is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
  • Lincoln County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Alum Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Priestley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Priestley is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Priestley
    • Sod
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Sod is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sod
    • Alkol
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Alkol is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alkol
    • Garretts Bend
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Garretts Bend is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garretts Bend
    • Tango
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Tango is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tango
    • East ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • East is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East
    • Yawkey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Yawkey is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yawkey
  • Logan County
    • Sodom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Sodom is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sodom
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Dixie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Dixie is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Beech Glen
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
    • Albion ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Albion is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
    • Tipton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Tipton is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
    • Zela
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Zela is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
    • Keslers Cross Lanes
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Morrison is located in Nicholas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
  • Putnam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Poca
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Raymond City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Raymond City is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
    • Morgans Landing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
    • Scott Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Scott Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scott Village
    • Bancroft
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
    • Teays Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Liberty
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Liberty is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
    • Sigman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sigman is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
    • Teays Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Teays Village is located in Putnam County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teays Village
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Dorothy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
    • Packsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Packsville is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packsville
    • Montcoal
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Montcoal is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcoal
    • Stickney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Stickney is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stickney
    • Naoma
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Naoma is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naoma
    • Pineknob
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Pineknob is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineknob
    • Rock Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Arnett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Zada
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Zada is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zada
    • Bradley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bradley is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
    • Redbird
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Redbird is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbird
    • Sweeneyburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sweeneyburg is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeneyburg
  • Roane County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shrewsbury, with the one closest to Shrewsbury listed first.
    • Pigeon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Pigeon is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
    • Mattie ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Mattie is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
    • Cicerone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Cicerone is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
    • Kester ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Kester is located in Roane County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
    • Walton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Shrewsbury ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shrewsbury.

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 Shrewsbury - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Lacie - Gray - Morris Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Slaughter Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Dry Branch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Hensley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Good Shepherd Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Kanawha Valley Memorial Gardens
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Virginias Chapel Slave Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Witcher Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Sawmill Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Lewis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (732 more) ...
    • Ward Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cooper Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Wrightsville Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)

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 Shrewsbury had a population of 24 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Coalburg
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Coalburg is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalburg
  • Dry Branch
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
  • East Bank
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
  • Cedar Grove
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
  • Winifrede Junction
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Winifrede Junction is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede Junction
  • Crown Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Crown Hill is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crown Hill
  • Winifrede
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Winifrede is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winifrede
  • Handley
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Handley is located in Kanawha County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
  • Montgomery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Malden
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Comfort
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Eagle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Eagle is located in Fayette County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Crescent
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Crescent is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
    • Kanawha City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Kanawha City is located in Kanawha County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha City
    • Powellton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Powellton is located in Fayette County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton

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

Newspapers Published in Shrewsbury ...

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 94 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shrewsbury.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shrewsbury, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shrewsbury.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Shrewsbury:

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 Shrewsbury, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Shrewsbury) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.