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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 Venus (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 Venus. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Venus 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 Venus. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Venus:

  • McDowell County     (The home county of Venus)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Gary
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Thorpe
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Big Four
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Big Four is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Four
    • Kimball
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Anawalt
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Anawalt is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anawalt
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Welch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Welch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,575 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Welch <1>
    • Keystone
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kyle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Kyle is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
    • Elkhorn
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
    • Northfork
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Newhall
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • War
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • War is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
    • Davy
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Davy is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davy
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Wylo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
    • Mallory
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Mallory is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
    • Mineral City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Mineral City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
  • Mercer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Coaldale
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Coopers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Bramwell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Nemours
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Yards
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Flipping
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Montcalm
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Weyanoke
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Matoaka
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Matoaka is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matoaka
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
    • Littlesburg
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Bluefield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lashmeet
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Lashmeet is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lashmeet
  • Mingo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Gilbert Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Baisden
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Wharncliffe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rhodell is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 159 people
    • Eastgulf
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastgulf is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastgulf
    • Helen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Helen is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
    • Ury
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Ury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ury
    • Slab Fork
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Slab Fork is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slab Fork
    • Stotesbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stotesbury is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stotesbury
    • Princewick
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Princewick is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princewick
    • Bolt
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Bolt is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolt
    • Coal City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Coal City is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal City
    • Lester
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Lester is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 312 people
    • Sophia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Redbird
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Redbird is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbird
    • Glen White
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Glen White is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen White
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Woosley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Fanny
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Mullensville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Bud
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bud is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bud
    • Stoneville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Pineville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Wyoming
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Rock View
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Mullens
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Baileysville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Keyrock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Keyrock is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keyrock
    • Turkey
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Turkey is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey
    • Clear Fork
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Hicksville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
    • Rocky Gap
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Gap is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Gap
    • Bastian
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Round Bottom
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Round Bottom is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Bottom
    • Bland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Kelsa
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
  • Russell County (VA)
    • Dye
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Broadford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Ellendale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Venus, with the one closest to Venus listed first.
    • Abbs Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Bishop
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Boissevain
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Boissevain is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boissevain
    • Pocahontas
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
    • Shraders
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Yards
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Adria
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Dunford Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Sayersville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Wittens Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Falls Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Falls Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls Mills
    • Springville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Springville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springville
    • Five Oaks
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Five Oaks is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Oaks

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

Cemeteries Near Venus ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Venus.

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

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

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

  • Thorpe Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Old Belcher Mtn. Community Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • New Belcher Mtn. Community Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Rockhouse Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Algoma Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Rotenberry Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Lomax Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Dillon Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Swim Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Mitchem Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Hartwell - Berwind Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Yates Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (528 more) ...
    • Hayes Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Bowman Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sluss Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<3>

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

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

  • Powhatan
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Powhatan is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
  • Kyle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Kyle is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kyle
  • Ennis
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Ennis is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennis
  • Elkhorn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Elkhorn is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhorn
  • Algoma
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Algoma is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algoma
  • Switchback
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Switchback is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switchback
  • Maybeury
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Shraders
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Pocahontas
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Pocahontas is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 348 people
  • Coopers
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Coopers is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
  • Coaldale
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
  • Bailey
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bailey is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bramwell
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Sayersville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville

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

Newspapers Published in Venus ...

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 5 newspapers that have been published in the area around Venus.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Venus, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Venus.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Venus:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<3>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Venus, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Venus) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.