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 Spread (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 Spread. 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 Spread ...
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.
Another variation: Spreed.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Spread. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Spread.
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 northeast 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 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.
Spread is located in Clay 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 Clay County: Braxton, Calhoun, Kanawha, Nicholas & Roane.
Below are the counties that are near Spread. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spread:
- Clay County (The home county of Spread)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Gould
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Clay
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Valley Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Hartland
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Dink
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Elkhurst
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Harrison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Ira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Procious
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Bomont
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bomont is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
- Porter
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Porter is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Wattsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Lydia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Strange Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Elmira
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Clem
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Herold
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Rockton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Frametown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Wilsie
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Canfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Little Birch
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Little Birch is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Birch
- Gassaway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Progress ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Progress is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Mudfork
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Oka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Stinson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Losie ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Walnut
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Orma
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Beech
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Arnoldsburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Pink
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pink is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
- Rocksdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
- Russet
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Hur
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Leander
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Romont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Romont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
- Elliot ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Elliot is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Gauley Bridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Ansted
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Clifty
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Clifty is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifty
- Cannelton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cannelton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
- Victor
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Victor is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
- Crescent
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Crescent is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Montgomery
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Smithers
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hawks Nest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hawks Nest is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks Nest
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Shock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Stumptown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Normantown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cedarville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Fletcher
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Fletcher is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Romance
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Romance is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
- Kentuck
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Kentuck is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Wellford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Clendenin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Reamer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Reamer is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamer
- Falling Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Falling Rock is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Rock
- Coco
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Three Mile
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Three Mile is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Mile
- Youngs Bottom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Youngs Bottom is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs Bottom
- Elkview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarretts Ford
- Pinch
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Pinch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinch
- Wills
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Wills is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wills
- Aarons
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Aarons is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Zela
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Tipton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Tipton is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Muddlety
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Birch River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Dixie
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Dixie is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Summersville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Albion ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Albion is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Beech Glen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Tioga
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Beaver
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Beaver is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Craigsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Pigeon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Kester ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Looneyville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Roxalana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Rushville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Walton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Graux
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Zona
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Cicerone
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cicerone is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
- Spencer
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Triplett
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Triplett is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Erbacon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Camden-on-Gauley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Camden-on-Gauley is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden-on-Gauley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Cowen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Welch Glade
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Welch Glade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
- Halo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Spread, see our County-by-County Page for Spread.
Cemeteries Near Spread ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spread.
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 Spread - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Spread covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Reed - Stephenson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed - Stephenson Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Reed - Stephenson Cemetery is located outside and to the north of Clay.
- The Reed - Stephenson Cemetery has also been known as:
- Reed - Stephenson - Pierson Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1978620 <2>
- Triplett Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Knob Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- King Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Little Laurel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Moore Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Bogg Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cherrytree Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Grose Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mullins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Davis Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (523 more) ...
- Hively Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Phillips Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pierson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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 Spread in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Spread.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Spread, with the one closest to Spread listed first.
- Gould
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Valley Fork
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Harrison
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Ira
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Procious
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Newton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Newton is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
- Pigeon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Strange Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Oka
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Stinson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Wattsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Elmira
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Lydia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Amma
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Amma is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amma
- Lizemores
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lizemores is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lizemores
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Spread. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spread.
Newspapers Published in Spread ...
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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spread.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spread, 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 Spread.
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 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 Spread:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Fayette County
- Gilmer County
- Jackson County
- Kanawha County
- Nicholas County
- Roane County
- Webster 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 Spread, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Spread) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |