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 Vandalia (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 Vandalia. 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.
Vandalia is located in Roane 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 Roane County: Calhoun, Clay, Jackson, Kanawha & Wirt.
Below are the counties that are near Vandalia. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vandalia:
- Roane County (The home county of Vandalia)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Zona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Flint Town
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Flint Town is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Town
- Spencer
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Rushville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rushville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
- Graux
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Graux is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graux
- Walton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Reedy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Reedy is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy
- Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
- Triplett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Triplett is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Cicerone
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Cicerone is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cicerone
- Mattie ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mattie is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattie
- Looneyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Elmira
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Sleith ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Sleith is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sleith
- Clem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Wilsie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Wilsie is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsie
- Calhoun County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Pink
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Pink is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pink
- Rocksdale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rocksdale is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocksdale
- Beech
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Beech is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Hur
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Hur is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hur
- Arnoldsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Arnoldsburg is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnoldsburg
- Orma
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Orma is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orma
- Oka
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Oka is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oka
- Gomez ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Gomez is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gomez
- Big Bend
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Big Bend is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
- Mudfork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Stinson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Stinson is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stinson
- Grantsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Porter
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Porter is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Procious
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Lydia
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lydia is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
- Valley Fork
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Bomont
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bomont is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
- Dink
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Dink is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dink
- Elkhurst
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Gould
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Spread
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Clay
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hartland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Ira
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ira is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ira
- Gilmer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Stumptown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Stumptown is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumptown
- Shock
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Shock is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shock
- Normantown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- De Kalb
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- De Kalb is located in Gilmer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Kalb
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Aplin ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Aplin is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aplin
- Statts Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Statts Mills is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Statts Mills
- Hereford
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hereford is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hereford
- Liverpool
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Liverpool is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liverpool
- Fletcher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fletcher is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Kentuck
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kentuck is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Meadowdale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Meadowdale is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowdale
- Kenna
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Romance
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Romance is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romance
- Fairplain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Fairplain is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplain
- Garfield
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Garfield is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Ripley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Island Branch
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Island Branch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island Branch
- Wellford
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Wellford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wellford
- Sissonville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Aarons
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Aarons is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons
- Clendenin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Reamer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Reamer is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reamer
- Falling Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Falling Rock is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Rock
- Youngs Bottom
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Youngs Bottom is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Youngs Bottom
- Legg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Legg is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Legg
- Elkview
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Wills
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Wills is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wills
- Jarretts Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Jarretts Ford is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarretts Ford
- Mason County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Baden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Baden is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baden
- Arbuckle
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Arbuckle is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arbuckle
- Grimms Landing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Grimms Landing is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grimms Landing
- Leon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Leon is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leon
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Letart
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Letart is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letart
- Southside
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Southside is located in Mason County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southside
- Putnam County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Liberty
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Sigman
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sigman is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sigman
- Paradise
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Paradise is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
- Bancroft
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bancroft is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
- Population from the 2020 Census: 596 people
- Raymond City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Raymond City is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymond City
- Red House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Poca
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Winfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Morgans Landing
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Morgans Landing is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgans Landing
- Eleanor
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Buffalo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pliny
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pliny is located in Putnam County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pliny
- Ritchie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Cisco
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Cisco is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cisco
- Oxbow
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Oxbow is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow
- Smithville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Smithville is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
- Rusk
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rusk is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
- Cantwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cantwell is located in Ritchie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantwell
- Wirt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Lucile
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Lucile is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucile
- Peewee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Peewee is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peewee
- Creston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Creston is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
- Burning Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Burning Springs is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burning Springs
- Palestine
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Palestine is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palestine
- Windy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Windy is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windy
- Elizabeth
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Newark
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Newark is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
- Greencastle
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Greencastle is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greencastle
- Freeport
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Freeport is located in Wirt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
- Wood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Slate
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Slate is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate
- Leachtown
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Leachtown is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leachtown
- Mineral Acres
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mineral Acres is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Acres
- Mineral Wells
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Kanawha
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Kanawha is located in Wood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha
- Meigs County (OH)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Portland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Spiller
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Spiller is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spiller
- Plants
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Plants is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plants
- Letart Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Letart Falls is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letart Falls
- Dorcas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dorcas is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorcas
- Bashan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bashan is located in Meigs County (OH)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bashan
- Racine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vandalia, see our County-by-County Page for Vandalia.
Cemeteries Near Vandalia ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vandalia.
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 Vandalia - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vandalia covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- McCoy Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Roberts Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Galahoe Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Wilson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Carpenter Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Weaver Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Beckley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Chrislip Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Board Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Miller Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Gandeeville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (783 more) ...
- Shadydale Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Gandee Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Vandalia in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vandalia.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vandalia, with the one closest to Vandalia listed first.
- Zona
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Zona is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zona
- Clarence
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Clarence is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarence
- Reedyville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Reedyville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedyville
- Red Knob
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Red Knob is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Knob
- Flatfork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Flatfork is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatfork
- Peniel
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Peniel is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peniel
- Countsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Countsville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countsville
- Gandeeville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gandeeville is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gandeeville
- Speed
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Speed is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speed
- Spencer
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Gay
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Gay is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gay
- Woodyard ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Woodyard is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodyard
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Buffalolick ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Buffalolick is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalolick
- Schilling
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Schilling is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schilling
- Marshall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Marshall is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshall
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vandalia. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vandalia.
Newspapers Published in Vandalia ...
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 6 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vandalia.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vandalia, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vandalia.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Vandalia:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Roane County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Gilmer County
- Jackson County
- Kanawha County
- Mason County
- Putnam County
- Ritchie County
- Wirt County
- Wood County
- Meigs 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> | 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- Vandalia) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Vandalia, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |