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 Swandale (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 Swandale. 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 and hospitals 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.
Swandale 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 Swandale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Swandale:
- Clay County (The home county of Swandale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Harrison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Wattsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Widen
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Widen is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
- Ira
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Gould
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Clay
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Spread
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Dink
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Hartland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Valley Fork
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Elkhurst
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Lydia
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Procious
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Strange Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Herold
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Clem
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Rockton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Elmira
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Frametown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Canfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Wilsie
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Little Birch
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Little Birch is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Birch
- Gassaway
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sutton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Mudfork
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Losie ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Losie is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Losie
- Stinson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Walnut
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Walnut is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Oka
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Orma
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Arnoldsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Beech
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Pink
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pink is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
- Russet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Russet is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russet
- Staten
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Staten is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Staten
- Rocksdale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Leander
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Elliot ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Elliot is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Romont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Romont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
- Clifty
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Clifty is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifty
- Ansted
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Victor
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Victor is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
- Gauley Bridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Hawks Nest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Hawks Nest is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks Nest
- Grayden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Grayden is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayden
- Cannelton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cannelton is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannelton
- Beckwith
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cotton Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Cotton Hill is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Shock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Cedarville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cedarville is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedarville
- Normantown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Stumptown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Greenbrier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Brushy Junction ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Junction is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Junction
- Lile
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lile is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lile
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Wellford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Clendenin
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Reamer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Reamer is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamer
- Falling Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Falling Rock is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Rock
- Coco
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Coco is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coco
- Three Mile
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Three Mile is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Mile
- Youngs Bottom
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Youngs Bottom is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs Bottom
- Hugheston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hugheston is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugheston
- Elkview
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Jarretts Ford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarretts Ford
- Pinch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Pinch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinch
- Handley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Handley is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Muddlety
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Birch River
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Zela
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Tipton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Tipton is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Summersville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Tioga
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Albion ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Albion is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Beaver
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Beaver is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
- Craigsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Beech Glen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Dixie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dixie is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Roane County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Pigeon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Kester ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Kester is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kester
- Looneyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Roxalana
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Roxalana is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roxalana
- Rushville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Graux
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Walton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Camden-on-Gauley
(20 miles [32.2 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
- Erbacon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Erbacon is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erbacon
- Welch Glade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Welch Glade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
- Cowen
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Halo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Upperglade
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
- Excelsior
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Excelsior is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Excelsior
- Big Run
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Big Run is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Run
- Addison
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Addison is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addison
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Orndoff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Orndoff is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orndoff
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Swandale, see our County-by-County Page for Swandale.
Cemeteries Near Swandale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swandale.
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 Swandale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Swandale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Ramsey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Kyle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Turner Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Chapman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Triplett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Wilson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Acree Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Walnut Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Bogg Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Woods Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lyons Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Reed - Stephenson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- 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>
- Continue List (431 more) ...
- Butcher Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Goad Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Strange Creek Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Strange Creek Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Strange Creek
- The Strange Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
- Keeners Ridge Community Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1976835 <2>
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 Swandale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Swandale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Swandale, with the one closest to Swandale listed first.
- Harrison
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Wattsville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Ira
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Gould
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Strange Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Valley Fork
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Hookersville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hookersville is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hookersville
- Muddlety
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Herold
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Gilboa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Gilboa is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilboa
- Enon
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Enon is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enon
- Birch River
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Zela
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Frametown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Frametown is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frametown
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Swandale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Swandale.
Newspapers Published in Swandale ...
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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swandale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swandale, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swandale.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Swandale:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Clay County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Fayette County
- Gilmer County
- Greenbrier 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 Swandale, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Swandale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |