RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of West Virginia >> Mingo County >> Vulcan >> 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 Vulcan (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 Vulcan. 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.

Vulcan is located in Mingo 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 Mingo County: Martin (KY), Pike (KY), Buchanan (VA), Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Wayne & Wyoming.

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

  • Mingo County     (The home county of Vulcan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Thacker
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
      • Thacker is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thacker
    • Blackberry City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Blackberry City is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackberry City
    • Matewan
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Red Jacket
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Red Jacket is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Jacket
    • Sprigg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sprigg is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sprigg
    • Musick
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Musick is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Musick
    • Wharncliffe
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Pie
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Pie is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pie
    • Delbarton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Williamson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Baisden
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Gilbert Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Stirrat
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Stirrat is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stirrat
    • Omar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wylo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
    • Man
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Man is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Man
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 619 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Man <1>
    • Switzer
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Switzer is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
    • Holden
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Holden is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holden
    • Whitman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Mallory
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mallory is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
    • Wilkinson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Kistler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Kistler is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kistler
    • Mineral City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Mineral City is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral City
    • Accoville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Accoville is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Accoville
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Wyoming City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Wyoming City is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming City
    • Panther
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Panther is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panther
    • Iaeger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Iaeger is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
    • Paynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Paynesville is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Union City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Union City is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
    • Jackson Flats
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Wilmore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Wilmore is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
    • Avondale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Bradshaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Big Sandy
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Big Sandy is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
    • Roderfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Roderfield is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
    • Height
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Height is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Stonecoal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Stonecoal is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonecoal
    • Wilsondale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Wilsondale is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilsondale
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Cub City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Uno
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Uno is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uno
    • Sun Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
    • Baileysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Clear Fork
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
    • Stoneville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Fanny
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Oceana
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Wyoming
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Woosley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Turkey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Turkey is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turkey
  • Floyd County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Betsy Layne
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Harold
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Harold is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harold
    • Osborn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Osborn is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
    • Galveston
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Galveston is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galveston
    • Stanville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Tram
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Tram is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tram
    • Grethel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Grethel is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grethel
    • Ivel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Teaberry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Teaberry is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teaberry
    • Beaver
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Beaver is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver
    • Dana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Dana is located in Floyd County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
  • Martin County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Pilgrim
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Pilgrim is located in Martin County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pilgrim
    • Lovely
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lovely is located in Martin County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovely
    • Warfield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Beauty
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Beauty is located in Martin County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beauty
    • Hode
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hode is located in Martin County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hode
    • Debord
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Pike County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Freeburn
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Freeburn is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeburn
    • Majestic
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
    • Phelps
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Stopover
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
    • Ransom
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Ransom is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ransom
    • McCarr
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Buskirk
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Buskirk is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buskirk
    • Calloway Branch
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Calloway Branch is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calloway Branch
    • Coleman
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
    • Paw Paw
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
    • McAndrews
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • McAndrews is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McAndrews
    • McVeigh
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • McVeigh is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McVeigh
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Kelsa
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
    • Big Rock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Big Rock is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
    • Grundy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Matney
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Paynesville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Royal City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
    • Jackson Flats
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Vansant
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Janey
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Janey is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
    • Leemaster
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Leemaster is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
    • Mavisdale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Height
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
  • Dickenson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vulcan, with the one closest to Vulcan listed first.
    • Haysi
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Haysi is located in Dickenson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haysi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 460 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haysi <1>
    • Tarpon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Tarpon is located in Dickenson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tarpon
    • Clinchco
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clinchco is located in Dickenson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchco
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clinchco <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Vulcan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vulcan.

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

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

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

  • Daniels Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Edgarton Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Billy Dotson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Italy Hollow Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Hatfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Dotson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • George Hatfield Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Jerry Hatfield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Dotson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Phillips Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Matthew Hatfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Blackberry City Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (632 more) ...
    • Stafford Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Buskirk Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Simpkins Family Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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 Vulcan in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vulcan.

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

  • Phelps
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Jamboree
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jamboree is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamboree
  • Coleman
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
  • Paw Paw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
  • Pinsonfork
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Pinsonfork is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinsonfork
  • Canada
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Kimper
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Kimper is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimper
  • Mouthcard
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Mouthcard is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mouthcard
  • Big Rock
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Big Rock is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Rock
  • Oilville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Oilville is located in Logan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oilville
  • North Spring
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • North Spring is located in Wyoming County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Spring
  • Rural
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Rural is located in Pike County (KY)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rural
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Fishtrap
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Fishtrap is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishtrap
    • Hanover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Hanover is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanover
    • Christian
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Christian is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christian

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

Newspapers Published in Vulcan ...

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 Vulcan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vulcan, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vulcan.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Vulcan:

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 Vulcan, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Vulcan) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.