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Home >> State of West Virginia >> McDowell County >> War >> 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 War (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 War. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

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

  • McDowell County     (The home county of War)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Yukon
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Yukon is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
    • Newhall
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Newhall is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
    • Peapatch
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Bradshaw
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Height
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Gary
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Gary is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 759 people
    • Avondale
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Avondale is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
    • Bishop
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Roderfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Roderfield is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roderfield
    • Thorpe
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Thorpe is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorpe
    • Welch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Union City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Union City is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union City
  • Logan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Wylo
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Wylo is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wylo
    • Mallory
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mallory is located in Logan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mallory
    • Mineral City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • 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 War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Coaldale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Coaldale is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coaldale
    • Coopers
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Coopers is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coopers
    • Bramwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Freeman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Freeman is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman
    • Nemours
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Yards
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Yards is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yards
    • Flipping
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Flipping is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flipping
    • Montcalm
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Montcalm is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montcalm
    • Weyanoke
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Weyanoke is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weyanoke
    • Bluefield
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Littlesburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Littlesburg is located in Mercer County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Littlesburg
    • Matoaka
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • 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 War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Baisden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Gilbert Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gilbert Creek is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilbert Creek
    • Gilbert
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Wharncliffe
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Pie
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pie is located in Mingo County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pie
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Rhodell
      (29 miles [46.7 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Eastgulf is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastgulf
    • Helen
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Helen is located in Raleigh County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Woosley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Woosley is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woosley
    • Stoneville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Stoneville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneville
    • Fanny
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Fanny is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fanny
    • Baileysville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Baileysville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baileysville
    • Wyoming
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Wyoming is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyoming
    • Mullensville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Mullensville is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullensville
    • Pineville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Clear Fork
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Clear Fork is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Fork
    • Cub City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Cub City is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cub City
    • Rock View
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Rock View is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock View
    • Sun Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Sun Hill is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Hill
    • Uno
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Uno is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uno
  • Pike County (KY)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Paw Paw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Paw Paw is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Paw
    • Stopover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Stopover is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stopover
    • Majestic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Majestic is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Majestic
    • Phelps
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Coleman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Coleman is located in Pike County (KY)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coleman
  • Bland County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Bastian
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Hicksville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Hicksville is located in Bland County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicksville
  • Buchanan County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Bearwallow
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Peapatch
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Peapatch is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
    • Height
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Height is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
    • Jackson Flats
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
    • Paynesville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Paynesville is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
    • Matney
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Matney is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
    • Mavisdale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
    • Janey
      (20 miles [32.2 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 southwest)
      • Rowe is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
    • Kelsa
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Kelsa is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsa
    • Grundy
      (23 miles [37 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>
    • Royal City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Royal City is located in Buchanan County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal City
  • Russell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Dye
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dye is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
    • Russell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Russell is located in Russell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Honaker
      (25 miles [40.2 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>
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Broadford
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
    • Ellendale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Allison Gap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
    • Cardwell Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
    • Saltville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Tazewell County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from War, with the one closest to War listed first.
    • Dunford Village
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Dunford Village is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunford Village
    • Bishop
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Bishop is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
    • Sayersville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
    • Harman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
    • Shraders
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
    • Adria
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Adria is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adria
    • Abbs Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Abbs Valley is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbs Valley
    • Pisgah
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Maxwell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
    • Wittens Mills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
    • Cedar Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Five Oaks
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • 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 War, see our County-by-County Page for War.

Cemeteries Near War ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of War.

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

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

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

  • Lomax Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Altizer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Hartwell - Berwind Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Puckett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Rose Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Hagerman Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Sparks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Knob Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (617 more) ...
    • Knob Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Mitchell Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Deskins Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 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.<2>

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

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

  • Bearwallow
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
  • Bradshaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Hill is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
  • Sayersville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Sayersville is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayersville
  • Harman
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Harman is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
  • Shraders
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Shraders is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shraders
  • Gap Store
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Gap Store is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Store
  • Iaeger
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Iaeger is located in McDowell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iaeger
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 232 people
  • Pisgah
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Pisgah is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
  • Gillespie
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Gillespie is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillespie
  • Maxwell
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Maxwell is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
  • Wittens Mills
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Wittens Mills is located in Tazewell County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittens Mills
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Richlands
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Bluff
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Pounding Mill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of War ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around War.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of War. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of War and those printed in the larger area surrounding War.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3> of War.

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 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 War:

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 War, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- War) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.