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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 Wriston (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 Wriston. 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 and hospitals 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.

Wriston is located in Fayette County.

To see how the shape of West Virginia's counties 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 Wriston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wriston:

  • Fayette County     (The home county of Wriston)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wriston, with the one closest to Wriston listed first.
    • Dempsey
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Oak Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
      • Oak Hill is located in Fayette County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,028 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Hill <2>
    • Whipple
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Beckwith
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Fayetteville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • McDunn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • White Oak Junction
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Concho
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Concho. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concho
      • Concho is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Concho
      • From Wriston to Concho
    • Harvey
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Redstar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Redstar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redstar
      • Redstar is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Redstar
      • From Wriston to Redstar
    • Roseville ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roseville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
      • Roseville is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Roseville
      • From Wriston to Roseville
    • Cotton Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cotton Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
      • Cotton Hill is located in Fayette County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cotton Hill
      • From Wriston to Cotton Hill
  • Boone County
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wriston, with the one closest to Wriston listed first.
    • Hartland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Elkhurst
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elkhurst. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkhurst
      • Elkhurst is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elkhurst
      • From Wriston to Elkhurst
  • Greenbrier County
  • Kanawha County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wriston, with the one closest to Wriston listed first.
    • Carbon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Acme
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Handley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Handley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Handley
      • Handley is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 309 people
    • Eskdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Hollygrove
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pratt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pratt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pratt
      • Pratt is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Ronda
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Dry Branch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Glasgow
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glasgow have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glasgow
      • Glasgow is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 823 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glasgow <2>
    • Cabin Creek
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cedar Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Cedar Grove is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 897 people
    • East Bank
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Bank have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Bank
      • East Bank is located in Kanawha County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
  • Nicholas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wriston, with the one closest to Wriston listed first.
    • Beech Glen
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Dixie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Albion ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albion have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
      • Albion is located in Nicholas County
    • Tipton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tipton. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton
      • Tipton is located in Nicholas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tipton
      • From Wriston to Tipton
    • Keslers Cross Lanes
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Morrison ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morrison. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison
      • Morrison is located in Nicholas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Morrison
      • From Wriston to Morrison
    • Runa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Runa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Runa
      • Runa is located in Nicholas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Runa
      • From Wriston to Runa
    • Zela
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Snow Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Summersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Carl
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carl
      • Carl is located in Nicholas County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carl
      • From Wriston to Carl
    • Peaser Junction ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Raleigh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Wriston, with the one closest to Wriston listed first.
    • Bradley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradley
      • Bradley is located in Raleigh County
    • Terry
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Piney View
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Piney View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piney View
      • Piney View is located in Raleigh County
    • Prosperity
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Sweeneyburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sweeneyburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweeneyburg
      • Sweeneyburg is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sweeneyburg
      • From Wriston to Sweeneyburg
    • Stanaford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stanaford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanaford
      • Stanaford is located in Raleigh County
    • Royal ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Royal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
      • Royal is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Royal
      • From Wriston to Royal
    • Dorothy
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Skelton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • White Stick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Grandview
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Grandview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandview
      • Grandview is located in Raleigh County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Grandview
      • From Wriston to Grandview
    • Harper
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Summers County
  • Wyoming County

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

Cemeteries Near Wriston ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wriston.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Peters Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peters Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bays Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bays Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bays Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meadow Haven Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meadow Haven Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meadow Haven Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wriston Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wriston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wriston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • High Lawn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the High Lawn Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the High Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rinehart Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rinehart Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rinehart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wriston Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wriston Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wriston Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Powers Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Powers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Powers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Tyree Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tyree Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tyree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holly Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holly Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ellison Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ellison Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ellison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • John Nugen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the John Nugen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the John Nugen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (362 more) ...
    • Page Tabernackle Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Page Tabernackle Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Page Tabernackle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Johnson Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnson Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Kingston Cemeteries
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kingston Cemeteries
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kingston Cemeteries have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #78881 <4>

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.<5>

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

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

  • Oak Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
    • Oak Hill is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,028 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oak Hill <2>
  • Dempsey
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Mossy
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mossy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossy
    • Mossy is located in Fayette County
  • Kincaid
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kincaid have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kincaid
    • Kincaid is located in Fayette County
  • Roseville ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Roseville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
    • Roseville is located in Fayette County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Roseville
    • From Wriston to Roseville
  • Fayetteville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Beckwith
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Thurmond
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Gatewood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gatewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
    • Gatewood is located in Fayette County
  • Fayette
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fayette have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fayette
    • Fayette is located in Fayette County
  • Cotton Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cotton Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Hill
    • Cotton Hill is located in Fayette County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cotton Hill
    • From Wriston to Cotton Hill
  • Mount Hope
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Hope
    • Mount Hope is located in Fayette County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,259 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mount Hope <2>
  • Continue List   (18 more) ...
    • Kanawha Falls
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kanawha Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kanawha Falls
      • Kanawha Falls is located in Fayette County
    • Deep Water
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deep Water have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Water
      • Deep Water is located in Fayette County
    • Dimmock
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dimmock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dimmock
      • Dimmock is located in Fayette County

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

Newspapers Published in Wriston ...

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 18 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wriston.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wriston, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wriston.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Wriston:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Wriston. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of West Virginia: https://www.wv.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Wriston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Wriston) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Wriston. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.0132, Longitude: -81.2035       In this case, the coordinates for Wriston have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025