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 Vale (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 Vale. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the east contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Vale is located in Greenbrier County.
To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Greenbrier County: Alleghany (VA), Bath (VA), Fayette, Monroe, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Summers & Webster.
Below are the counties that are near Vale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vale:
- Greenbrier County (The home county of Vale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Rupert
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Crawley
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Rainelle
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- McRoss
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Kieffer
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Charmco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hines
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Orient Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Alderson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Crichton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Quinwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Frazier
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Spring Dale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Bellwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Meadow Bridge
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Bridge
- Meadow Bridge is located in Fayette County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Maywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maywood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
- Maywood is located in Fayette County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Maywood
- From Vale to Maywood
- Hilton Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Clifftop
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- East Sewell ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Sewell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Sewell
- East Sewell is located in Fayette County
- Alaska ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alaska have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alaska
- Alaska is located in Fayette County
- Quinnimont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Lookout
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- McKendree
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McKendree have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKendree
- McKendree is located in Fayette County
- Prince
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Monroe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Wolfcreek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Creamery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Creamery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
- Creamery is located in Monroe County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Creamery
- From Vale to Creamery
- Hillsdale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hillsdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hillsdale
- From Vale to Hillsdale
- Union
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hollywood
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Wikel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wikel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
- Wikel is located in Monroe County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Wikel
- From Vale to Wikel
- Assurance
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Assurance. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Assurance is located in Monroe County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Assurance
- From Vale to Assurance
- Ballard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Carl
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
- Carl is located in Nicholas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Carl
- From Vale to Carl
- Peaser Junction ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Snow Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Runa
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Runa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runa
- Runa is located in Nicholas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Runa
- From Vale to Runa
- Odell Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Tolbert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Nettie
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Saxman
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Saxman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxman
- Saxman is located in Nicholas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Saxman
- From Vale to Saxman
- Richwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Richwood is located in Nicholas County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,842 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richwood <1>
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morrison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Morrison
- From Vale to Morrison
- Donald
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Donald. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donald
- Donald is located in Nicholas County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Donald
- From Vale to Donald
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Raleigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Abraham
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Abraham. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abraham
- Abraham is located in Raleigh County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Abraham
- From Vale to Abraham
- Royal ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Royal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Royal is located in Raleigh County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Royal
- From Vale to Royal
- Grandview
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grandview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
- Grandview is located in Raleigh County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Grandview
- From Vale to Grandview
- Terry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Piney View
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piney View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney View
- Piney View is located in Raleigh County
- Daniels
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daniels have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniels
- Daniels is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Daniels <1>
- Shady Spring
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Clifftop
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Stanaford
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanaford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanaford
- Stanaford is located in Raleigh County
- Beaver
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- White Stick
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Bradley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Bradley is located in Raleigh County
- Summers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- New Richmond ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Richmond. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
- New Richmond is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to New Richmond
- From Vale to New Richmond
- Sandstone
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Riffe
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riffe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riffe
- Riffe is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Riffe
- From Vale to Riffe
- Lowell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lowell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Lowell is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Lowell
- From Vale to Lowell
- Talcott
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Hinton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Hilldale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hilldale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
- Hilldale is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Hilldale
- From Vale to Hilldale
- Brooklin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brooklin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklin
- Brooklin is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Brooklin
- From Vale to Brooklin
- Bargers Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bellepoint
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Packs Ferry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Packs Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
- Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
- Buck
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buck. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
- Buck is located in Summers County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Buck
- From Vale to Buck
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vale, see our County-by-County Page for Vale.
Cemeteries Near Vale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vale.
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.
If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Richardson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richardson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richardson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Old Amwell Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Amwell Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Amwell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- William Thomas Lowry Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- At The End Of The Trail Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Wallace Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- White Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Henson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Henson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Wickline Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wickline Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wickline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Patton Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hicks - Swell Mtn. Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Harrah Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrah Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrah Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bragg Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bragg Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bragg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (172 more) ...
- Alderson Fletcher Addition Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alderson Fletcher Addition Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alderson Fletcher Addition Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Shuck Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shuck Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shuck Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Richmond Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Richmond Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Richmond Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<5>
While we didn't find Vale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vale, with the one closest to Vale listed first.
- Dawson
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Dawson is located in Greenbrier County
- Lawn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawn have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawn
- Lawn is located in Greenbrier County
- Grassy Meadows
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grassy Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Meadows
- Grassy Meadows is located in Greenbrier County
- Dennis
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dennis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
- Dennis is located in Greenbrier County
- Meadow Bluff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadow Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Bluff
- Meadow Bluff is located in Greenbrier County
- Spring Dale
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Elton
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elton
- Elton is located in Summers County
- Rupert
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Clintonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clintonville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clintonville
- Clintonville is located in Greenbrier County
- Green Sulphur Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Sulphur Springs
- Green Sulphur Springs is located in Summers County
- Maywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maywood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maywood
- Maywood is located in Fayette County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Maywood
- From Vale to Maywood
- Asbury
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Asbury have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury
- Asbury is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Asbury <1>
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Alta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
- Alta is located in Greenbrier County
- Hughart
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hughart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughart
- Hughart is located in Greenbrier County
- Clayton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clayton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
- Clayton is located in Summers County
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vale.
Newspapers Published in Vale ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vale, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vale.
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 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 Vale:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Greenbrier County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fayette County
- Monroe County
- Nicholas County
- Raleigh County
- Summers County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Vale. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/
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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
<3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<4> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Vale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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 from Point A (ie- Vale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.8806, Longitude: -80.7217 |