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Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> Vallscreek >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Vallscreek (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 Vallscreek. 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.

Vallscreek is located in McDowell 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 McDowell County: Buchanan (VA), Tazewell (VA), Mercer, Mingo & Wyoming.

Below are the counties that are near Vallscreek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vallscreek:

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Vallscreek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Newhall
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • War
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • War is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Yukon
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Peapatch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Peapatch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Gary
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Thorpe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Bradshaw
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Anawalt
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Big Four
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Avondale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Coopers
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Yards
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Bramwell
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Nemours
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Coaldale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Flipping
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Bluefield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Montcalm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Littlesburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Weyanoke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Matoaka
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Gilbert Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Baisden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wharncliffe
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Woosley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Fanny
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Stoneville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Baileysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Mullensville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Pineville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Bud
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Clear Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
    • Cub City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Rock View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Sun Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
  • Pike County (KY)
    • Paw Paw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Bastian
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Rocky Gap
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Bland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Rowe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Vansant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Council
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Council is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
    • Grundy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Grundy is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grundy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 883 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grundy <1>
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Dye
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Honaker is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Honaker
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,322 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Honaker <1>
    • Barnett
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Barnett is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
    • Elk Garden
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Elk Garden is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Broadford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Ellendale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Cardwell Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Allison Gap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Saltville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Mount Carmel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Marion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Marion is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Atkins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
    • Adwolf
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Adwolf is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
    • Chilhowie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Sayersville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Dunford Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Bishop
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Shraders
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Adria
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Harman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
    • Maxwell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Pisgah
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Abbs Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Five Oaks
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
    • Tazewell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Tazewell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tazewell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tazewell <1>
    • Wittens Mills
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Washington County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vallscreek, with the one closest to Vallscreek listed first.
    • Clinchburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Clinchburg is located in Washington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
    • Fleet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Wythe County (VA)
    • Rural Retreat
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Vallscreek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vallscreek.

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

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

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

  • Hartwell - Berwind Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Lomax Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Company Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Lowe Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Yates Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (695 more) ...
    • Knob Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Mitchell Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Day Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>

While we didn't find Vallscreek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vallscreek.

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

  • Sayersville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Shraders
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Bearwallow
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Pleasant Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Harman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
  • Gap Store
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
  • Maxwell
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Pisgah
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Gillespie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
  • Five Oaks
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks
  • Wittens Mills
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Cedar Bluff
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Pounding Mill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Thompson Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
    • Bradshaw
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Vallscreek ...

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 12 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vallscreek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vallscreek, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vallscreek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Vallscreek:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Vallscreek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vallscreek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.