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 Woods Ferry (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 Woods Ferry. 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.
Name Variations for Woods Ferry ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
While the name of this community is Woods Ferry, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Woods Ferry may originally have been Wood's Ferry.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Woods Ferry might be written as Wood Ferry.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Woods Ferry. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Woods Ferry.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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 north.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Woods Ferry is located in Fayette 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 Fayette County: Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, Raleigh & Summers.
Below are the counties that are near Woods Ferry. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Woods Ferry:
- Fayette County (The home county of Woods Ferry)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Leander
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Elliot ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elliot is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Clifty
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clifty is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifty
- Victor
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Victor is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victor
- Romont
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Romont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romont
- Ansted
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grayden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Grayden is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayden
- Hawks Nest
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hawks Nest is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks Nest
- Lansing
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Lookout
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Beckwith
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Boone County
- Joes Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Joes Creek is located in Boone County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joes Creek
- Braxton County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Strange Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Strange Creek is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strange Creek
- Herold
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Herold is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herold
- Rockton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Rockton is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockton
- Twistville ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Twistville is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twistville
- Clem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Clem is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
- Elmira
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Elmira is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmira
- Canfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Canfield is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canfield
- Little Birch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Little Birch is located in Braxton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Birch
- Calhoun County
- Mudfork
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mudfork is located in Calhoun County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mudfork
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Hartland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Hartland is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Clay
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Elkhurst
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Elkhurst is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
- Widen
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Widen is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Widen
- Spread
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Spread is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spread
- Bomont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bomont is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bomont
- Harrison
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Harrison is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Wattsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wattsville is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsville
- Gould
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Gould is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gould
- Procious
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Procious is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Procious
- Valley Fork
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Valley Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Fork
- Porter
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Porter is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Greenbrier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Crichton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Crichton is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crichton
- Orient Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Orient Hill is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orient Hill
- Quinwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Quinwood is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 260 people
- Brushy Junction ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Brushy Junction is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brushy Junction
- Charmco
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hines
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hines is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hines
- McRoss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- McRoss is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McRoss
- Lile
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lile is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lile
- Rainelle
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Rupert
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Crawley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vale is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Kanawha County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Handley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Handley is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
- Hugheston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hugheston is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hugheston
- Hollygrove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hollygrove is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollygrove
- Hollygrove has also been known as:
- Hollygrove Station
- Hudnall
- Pratt
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pratt is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Apgah ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Apgah is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apgah
- Glasgow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Cedar Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
- East Bank
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- East Bank is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
- Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
- Ronda
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Ronda is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
- Carbon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carbon is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon
- Dry Branch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Dry Branch is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Branch
- Eskdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Eskdale is located in Kanawha County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eskdale
- Nicholas County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Albion ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Albion is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Tipton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Tipton is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Morrison ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Morrison is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
- Zela
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Beech Glen
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Beech Glen is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech Glen
- Runa
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Runa is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runa
- Summersville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dixie
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Dixie is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Snow Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Snow Hill is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Muddlety
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Muddlety is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddlety
- Odell Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Odell Town is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odell Town
- Odell Town has also been known as:
- Odell
- Raleigh County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Royal ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Royal is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Terry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Terry is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terry
- Bradley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Bradley is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
- Grandview
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Grandview is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
- Piney View
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Piney View is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney View
- Prosperity
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Prosperity is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prosperity
- Stanaford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Stanaford is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanaford
- Abraham
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Abraham is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abraham
- Skelton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Skelton is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skelton
- White Stick
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- White Stick is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Stick
- Sweeneyburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sweeneyburg is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeneyburg
- Dorothy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dorothy is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorothy
- Roane County
- Pigeon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pigeon is located in Roane County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pigeon
- Summers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- New Richmond ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- New Richmond is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Richmond
- Sandstone
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Webster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Camden-on-Gauley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Camden-on-Gauley is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camden-on-Gauley
- Population from the 2020 Census: 143 people
- Welch Glade
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Welch Glade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welch Glade
- Cowen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Halo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Halo is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halo
- Upperglade
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Upperglade is located in Webster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upperglade
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Woods Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Woods Ferry.
Cemeteries Near Woods Ferry ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woods Ferry.
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 Woods Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Woods Ferry covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Sugar Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Legg Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- White Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Neil Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Dotson - Simpson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Zoar Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Restlawn Memory Gardens
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Chapel Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Westlake Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Lookout Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Keenan Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (317 more) ...
- Simms Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Rich Creek Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Willis Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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 Woods Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Woods Ferry.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Woods Ferry, with the one closest to Woods Ferry listed first.
- Leander
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Leander is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Albion ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Albion is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Elliot ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elliot is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliot
- Mulvane ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mulvane is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulvane
- Deitz ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Deitz is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deitz
- Clifty
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Clifty is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifty
- Keslers Cross Lanes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Keslers Cross Lanes is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keslers Cross Lanes
- Tipton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Tipton is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
- Mountain Cove
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Mountain Cove is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Cove
- Ansted
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Lookout
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Lookout is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Lookout
- Zela
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Zela is located in Nicholas County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zela
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Gaymont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gaymont is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaymont
- Hawks Nest
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hawks Nest is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawks Nest
- Sunnyside ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Sunnyside is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Woods Ferry. See our List of 1890's Communities around Woods Ferry.
Newspapers Published in Woods Ferry ...
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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woods Ferry.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Woods Ferry, 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 Woods Ferry.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Woods Ferry:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Fayette County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Boone County
- Braxton County
- Calhoun County
- Clay County
- Greenbrier County
- Kanawha County
- Nicholas County
- Raleigh County
- Roane County
- Summers County
- Webster County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Woods Ferry, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Woods Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |