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 Thomas (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 Thomas. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Thomas is located in Tucker 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 Tucker County: Barbour, Grant, Preston & Randolph.
Below are the counties that are near Thomas. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thomas:
- Tucker County (The home county of Thomas)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Coketon
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Coketon is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
- Pierce
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pierce is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
- Davis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Canaan Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Elk
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Elk is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk
- Hendricks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hendricks is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Hambleton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hambleton is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hambleton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 212 people
- Gladwin
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Gladwin is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladwin
- Parsons
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Porterwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Porterwood is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porterwood
- Pleasant Run
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Run is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Run
- Barbour County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Kasson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Kasson is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasson
- Valley Furnace
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Valley Furnace is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Furnace
- Kalamazoo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Kalamazoo is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
- Huffman ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Huffman is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Belington
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Vannoys Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Vannoys Mill is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannoys Mill
- Junior
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Junior is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junior
- Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
- Arden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Arden is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
- Calhoun
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Calhoun is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calhoun
- Clemtown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Clemtown is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clemtown
- Valley Bend
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Wilmoth ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Wilmoth is located in Barbour County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmoth
- Grant County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Dobbin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dobbin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Bayard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bayard is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 258 people
- Hopeville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hopeville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopeville
- Maysville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Maysville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maysville
- Greenland
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Greenland is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
- Arthur
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Arthur is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arthur
- Seymourville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Seymourville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymourville
- Lahmansville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Lahmansville is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lahmansville
- Petersburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Medley
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Pansy
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Pansy is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pansy
- Hardy County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Durgon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Durgon is located in Hardy County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durgon
- Moorefield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mineral County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Schell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Schell is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Hartmansville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hartmansville is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartmansville
- Harrison
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Harrison is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Sulphur City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Sulphur City is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur City
- Elk Garden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Shaw
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Shaw is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shaw
- New Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Windom ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Windom is located in Mineral County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Pendleton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Onego
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Onego is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onego
- Ketterman
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ketterman is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ketterman
- Macksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Macksville is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macksville
- Brushy Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Brushy Run is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Run
- Kline
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Kline is located in Pendleton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kline
- Preston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Horse Shoe Run
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Horse Shoe Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Shoe Run
- Sell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sell is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sell
- Aurora
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Carmel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Carmel is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel
- Macomber
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Macomber is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macomber
- Rowlesburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Salt Lick
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Salt Lick is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Lick
- Terra Alta
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Tunnelton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Heathers Run
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Heathers Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathers Run
- Kingwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Albright
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Randolph County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Dryfork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Pettit ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pettit is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pettit
- Harman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Harperton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Harperton is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harperton
- Montrose
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Montrose is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
- Population from the 2020 Census: 151 people
- Wymer
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Wymer is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wymer
- Evenwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Evenwood is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evenwood
- Whyte
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Whyte is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whyte
- Gilman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Gilman is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Whitmer
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Whitmer is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitmer
- Canfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Canfield is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Leadsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Leadsville is located in Randolph County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadsville
- Taylor County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Sandy ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Sandy is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy
- Knottsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Knottsville is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knottsville
- Thornton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Thornton is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thornton
- Stone House ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Stone House is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone House
- Yates ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Yates is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Grafton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Webster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Webster is located in Taylor County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Garrett County (MD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Red House
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Red House is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red House
- Fort Pendleton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Pendleton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Pendleton
- Hutton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Hutton is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutton
- Loch Lynn Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- 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
- Mountain Lake Park
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- 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
- Oakland
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Oakland is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,803 people
- Schell
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Schell is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schell
- Deer Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Altamont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Altamont is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamont
- Kitzmiller
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Swanton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thomas, see our County-by-County Page for Thomas.
Cemeteries Near Thomas ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thomas.
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 Thomas - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thomas covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Thomas Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Knotts Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kight Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Cortland Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hile Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bonifield Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Collett Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Goff Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fansler Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- McNeely Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Gnegy Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Continue List (177 more) ...
- Fairview Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Olivet Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Accident Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Thomas had a population of 269 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Thomas had a population of 545 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thomas, with the one closest to Thomas listed first.
- Coketon
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Coketon is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coketon
- William
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- William is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for William
- Davis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wilsonia
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Wilsonia is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsonia
- Lead Mine
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lead Mine is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lead Mine
- Cortland
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cortland is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortland
- Dobbin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dobbin is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobbin
- Hendricks
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hendricks is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendricks
- Population from the 2020 Census: 254 people
- Horse Shoe Run
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Horse Shoe Run is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Shoe Run
- Bretz
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bretz is located in Tucker County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bretz
- Sell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Sell is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sell
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilson is located in Garrett County (MD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Wilson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilson is located in Grant County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Parsons
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Eglon
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Eglon is located in Preston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eglon
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thomas. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thomas.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Thomas ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thomas.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Thomas. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Thomas and those printed in the larger area surrounding Thomas.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4> of Thomas.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Thomas:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Tucker County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Barbour County
- Grant County
- Hardy County
- Mineral County
- Pendleton County
- Preston County
- Randolph County
- Taylor County
- Garrett 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 Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has created and maintains a database of historic properties that is called MIHP (for the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties). More information about the MHT and MIHP can be found on their website: mht.maryland.gov. |
| <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 Thomas, 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' (or 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- Thomas) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |