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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 Willow Run (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 Willow Run. 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 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.

Willow Run is located in Houston County.

To see how the shape of Georgia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Houston County: Bibb, Bleckley, Dooly, Macon, Peach, Pulaski & Twiggs.

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

  • Houston County     (The home county of Willow Run)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Kathleen
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Woodard Estates
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodard Estates is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodard Estates
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,352 people
    • Bonaire
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Clinchfield
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Perry
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Perry is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,845 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perry <1>
    • Stathams Landing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Stathams Landing is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stathams Landing
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,839 people
    • Warner Robins
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Centerville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Elberta
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Elberta is located in Houston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elberta
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,329 people
    • Elko
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Bibb County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Walden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Walden is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walden
      • Estimated population in 2019: 964 people
    • Rutland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Rutland is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutland
      • Estimated population in 2019: 842 people
    • Vinson Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Vinson Village is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinson Village
    • Bloomfield Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Bloomfield Park is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomfield Park
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,686 people
    • West Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • West Point is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Point
    • Brookhaven
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Brookhaven is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookhaven
      • Estimated population in 2019: 55,554 people
    • Wheeler Heights
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Wheeler Heights is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler Heights
    • East Macon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • East Macon is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Macon
    • Macon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Lizella
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cross Keys
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Cross Keys is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cross Keys
    • Mogul
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Mogul is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mogul
      • Estimated population in 2019: 400 people
  • Bleckley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Royal
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Royal is located in Bleckley County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,571 people
    • Cochran
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Allentown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
  • Crawford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Lee Pope
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Lee Pope is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Pope
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,055 people
    • Zenith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Zenith is located in Crawford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zenith
    • Knoxville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Roberta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Musella
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Dodge County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Empire
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Empire is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Empire
    • Yonkers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Yonkers is located in Dodge County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yonkers
    • Chester
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Dooly County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Unadilla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Pinehurst
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Dooling
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Dooling is located in Dooly County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dooling
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 134 people
    • Byromville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lilly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Vienna
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Jones County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Belvedere Manor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Belvedere Manor is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belvedere Manor
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 15,152 people
    • Griswoldville ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Griswoldville is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Griswoldville
    • Jones Acres
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jones Acres is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones Acres
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,962 people
    • Mountain Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Mountain Springs is located in Jones County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Springs
  • Laurens County
    • Montrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Marshallville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Montezuma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Oglethorpe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Peach County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Lakeview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Lakeview is located in Peach County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
    • Miami Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Miami Valley is located in Peach County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Valley
    • Byron
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Echeconnee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Echeconnee is located in Peach County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echeconnee
    • Fort Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Taylors Mill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Taylors Mill is located in Peach County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Mill
      • Estimated population in 2019: 224 people
    • Washington Square
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Washington Square is located in Peach County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washington Square
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,963 people
  • Pulaski County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Hawkinsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Finleyson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Finleyson is located in Pulaski County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finleyson
  • Taylor County
    • Reynolds
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Twiggs County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Run, with the one closest to Willow Run listed first.
    • Huber
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Huber is located in Twiggs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huber
    • Marion
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Marion is located in Twiggs County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
    • Jeffersonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Dry Branch
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Danville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • Wilcox County
    • Pineview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Willow Run ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Run.

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 Willow Run - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Kings Chapel AME Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Bryan Family Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Houston Lake Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houston Lake Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Houston Lake Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<2> to the northeast of Perry.
  • Sandbed MB Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Nebo Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Jacob W. Pearce Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Magnolia Park South Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Perry Memorial Gardens
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Lamar Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Beulah Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Garden of Memories Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (293 more) ...
    • New Smyrna Baptist Church Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Oaklevel Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Tharpe Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)

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.<4>

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

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

  • Kathleen
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Heard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Heard is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heard
  • Bonaire
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Perry
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Perry is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 18,845 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perry <1>
  • Tharpe ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Tharpe is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tharpe
  • Hayneville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Hayneville is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayneville
  • Grovania
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Grovania is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grovania
  • Westlake
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Westlake is located in Twiggs County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake
  • Elko
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Echeconnee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Echeconnee is located in Peach County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echeconnee
  • Henderson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Henderson is located in Houston County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
  • Avondale
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Avondale is located in Bibb County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avondale
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Walden
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Walden is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walden
      • Estimated population in 2019: 964 people
    • Unadilla
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Sofkee
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Sofkee is located in Bibb County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sofkee

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

Newspapers Published in Willow Run ...

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 Willow Run.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Run, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Run.

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 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 Willow Run:

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>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 from Point A (ie- Willow Run) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<3>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.
<4>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 Willow Run, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.