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 Zenith (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 Zenith. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived: their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.
If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.
Zenith is located in Monroe 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 Monroe County: Alleghany (VA), Craig (VA), Giles (VA), Greenbrier & Summers.
Below are the counties that are near Zenith. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Zenith:
- Monroe County (The home county of Zenith)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Union
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Union is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Wikel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wikel is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wikel
- Assurance
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Assurance is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Hillsdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Hollywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Wayside
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Wayside is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wayside
- Creamery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Creamery is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creamery
- Wolfcreek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wolfcreek is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolfcreek
- Ballard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Ballard is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard
- Peterstown
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Fayette County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Meadow Bridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Meadow Bridge is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Bridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Spring Dale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Dale is located in Fayette County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Dale
- Greenbrier County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Rockland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rockland is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Alderson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Fort Spring
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Fort Spring is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Spring
- Frazier
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Frazier is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier
- Ronceverte
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Fairlea
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Caldwell
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Lewisburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Tuckahoe
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Tuckahoe is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckahoe
- White Sulphur Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Richlands
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Richlands is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
- Brink ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brink is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brink
- Clendenenville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Clendenenville is located in Greenbrier County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clendenenville
- Logan County
- Rich Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Rich Creek is located in Logan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Creek
- Mercer County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Willowton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Willowton is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willowton
- Elgood
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Elgood is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgood
- Oakvale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Oakvale is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakvale
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Athens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- East River ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- East River is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East River
- Oak Grove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove is located in Mercer County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Raleigh County
- Abraham
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Abraham is located in Raleigh County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abraham
- Summers County
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Bargers Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bargers Springs is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bargers Springs
- Forest Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Lowell
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lowell is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
- Riffe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Riffe is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riffe
- Talcott
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Hilldale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hilldale is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilldale
- Buck
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Buck is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buck
- Mercers Saltworks ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mercers Saltworks is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercers Saltworks
- Bellepoint
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bellepoint is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellepoint
- Packs Ferry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Packs Ferry is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packs Ferry
- Hinton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- True
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- True is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for True
- Brooklin
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Brooklin is located in Summers County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklin
- Alleghany County (VA)
- Moss Run
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Moss Run is located in Alleghany County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Run
- Botetourt County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Haymakertown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Haymakertown is located in Botetourt County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haymakertown
- Oriskany
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Craig County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Captain
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Captain is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
- Huffman
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Huffman is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huffman
- Simmonsville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Simmonsville is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmonsville
- Abbott
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Abbott is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbott
- New Castle
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Giles County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Kire
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Kire is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kire
- Mountain Lake
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mountain Lake is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Lake
- Pembroke
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Newport
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Newport is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Eggleston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Goodwins Ferry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Goodwins Ferry is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodwins Ferry
- Bluff City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bluff City is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff City
- Pearisburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rich Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Lurich
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lurich is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lurich
- Narrows
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Lyn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Glen Lyn is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glen Lyn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
- Shumate
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shumate is located in Giles County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shumate
- Montgomery County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Sundance Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Sundance Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sundance Village
- Mount Tabor Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Tabor Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor Village
- McBryde Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- McBryde Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McBryde Village
- Bennetts Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bennetts Mill is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennetts Mill
- Blacksburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Prices Fork
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Prices Fork is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prices Fork
- Merrimac
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Merrimac is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
- Ellett
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Ellett is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellett
- Elliston
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Christiansburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Houchins
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Houchins is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houchins
- Old Farm Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Old Farm Village is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Farm Village
- Montgomery
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Montgomery is located in Montgomery County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
- Pulaski County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Parrott
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Parrott is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parrott
- Cowan
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Cowan is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowan
- Fairlawn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fairlawn is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairlawn
- Sassin ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sassin is located in Pulaski County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassin
- Dublin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Newbern
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Radford City (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Mill Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mill Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Radford
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- New Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- New Town is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
- Radford Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Radford Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford Village
- Simpkins Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Simpkins Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpkins Village
- Sunset Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Sunset Village is located in Radford City (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Village
- Roanoke County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Moomaw ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Moomaw is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moomaw
- Catawba
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Riverside
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Riverside is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Mason Cove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mason Cove is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason Cove
- Wabun
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Wabun is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabun
- Hanging Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hanging Rock is located in Roanoke County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanging Rock
- Salem City (VA)
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Zenith, see our County-by-County Page for Zenith.
Cemeteries Near Zenith ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Zenith.
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 Zenith - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Zenith covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Dropping Lick Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dropping Lick Cemetery
- The Dropping Lick Cemetery has also been known as:
- Dropping Lick UMC Cemetery
- Fortner Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ballard - Harvey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Kire Community Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Ballard Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Swope Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lively Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Chambers Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- New Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Green Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Old Rehobeth Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (210 more) ...
- Gap Mills Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bradley Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Broyles Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Zenith had a population of 29 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Zenith, with the one closest to Zenith listed first.
- Crimson Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Crimson Springs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crimson Springs
- Rock Camp
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rock Camp is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Camp
- Salt Sulphur Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Salt Sulphur Springs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salt Sulphur Springs
- Lillydale
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Lillydale is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lillydale
- Waiteville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Waiteville is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waiteville
- Keenan
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Keenan is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keenan
- Union
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Union is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Gap Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Assurance
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Assurance is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assurance
- Lindside
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Captain
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Captain is located in Craig County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Captain
- Knobs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Knobs is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knobs
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Hollywood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hollywood is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hillsdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Hillsdale is located in Monroe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillsdale
- Greenville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Zenith. See our List of 1890's Communities around Zenith.
Newspapers Published in Zenith ...
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 Zenith.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Zenith, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Zenith.
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 Zenith:
- Websites specific to West Virginia
- Pages specific to Monroe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Fayette County
- Greenbrier County
- Logan County
- Mercer County
- Raleigh County
- Summers County
- Alleghany County
- Botetourt County
- Craig County
- Giles County
- Montgomery County
- Pulaski County
- Radford City
- Roanoke County
- Salem City
- Cemetery Information and Directories for West Virginia
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 Zenith, 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' (or 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- Zenith) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |