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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 Benham (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 Benham. 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 doctors 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.

Benham is located in Wilkes County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Wilkes County: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Iredell, Surry, Watauga & Yadkin.

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

  • Wilkes County     (The home county of Benham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Pleasant Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Ronda
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Lomax
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
    • Traphill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Clingman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
    • Roaring River
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Roaring River is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring River
    • Brier Creek ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Brier Creek is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier Creek
    • Zebra ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Zebra is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
    • Moxley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Moxley is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
    • Hays
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Abshers
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Abshers is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
    • Dehart
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Dehart is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Vashti
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Vashti is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
    • Rocky Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
    • Hiddenite
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Midway
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Midway is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Taylorsville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
    • Stony Point
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Stony Point is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Roaring Gap
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Glade Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Hooker
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Hooker is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Edmonds
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Ennice
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Sparta
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
    • Laurel Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Amelia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Amelia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Scottville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Piney Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Topia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Topia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
  • Ashe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Transou
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Transou is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
    • Glendale Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Obids
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Obids is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
    • Wagoner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Wagoner is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
    • Orion
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Orion is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
    • Crumpler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Weavers Ford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
    • Yates
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Yates is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Pino
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pino is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino
    • Calahaln
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Calahaln is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calahaln
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Donnaha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Donnaha is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
    • Heritage Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Dozier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Dozier is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozier
    • Hunters Trace
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Hunters Trace is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Trace
    • The Meadows
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • The Meadows is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • River Ridge Run
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • River Ridge Run is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Ridge Run
    • Sherwood Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Sherwood Forest is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Forest
    • Cinnamon Ridge
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Cinnamon Ridge is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cinnamon Ridge
    • Grapewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Grapewood is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grapewood
    • Dorchester
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Dorchester is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
    • Eaglewood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Eaglewood is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eaglewood
    • Lewisville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Iredell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Union Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • New Hope ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • New Hope is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
    • Love Valley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Houstonville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Houstonville is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonville
    • Olin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Olin is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
    • Harmony
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Turnersburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Turnersburg is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersburg
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Pinnacle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Flat Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Flat Rock is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Elkin Valley
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
    • State Road
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Elkin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Thurmond
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Mulberry
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Mulberry is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
    • Mountain Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mountain Park is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
    • Zephyr
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Zephyr is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
    • Rusk ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Rusk is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Devotion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
    • Fairview
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Fairview is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Stony Knoll
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Stony Knoll is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Knoll
    • Dobson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Jonesville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Arlington
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Swan Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
    • Rena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Cycle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Cycle is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
    • Boonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Marler
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Marler is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marler
    • Nebo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Nebo is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
    • Windsors Crossroads
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Windsors Crossroads is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsors Crossroads
    • Branon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
    • Hamptonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
  • Carroll County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Lambsburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Drenn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
    • Pipers Gap
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
    • Cana
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Fancy Gap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodlawn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Galax City (VA)
    • Galax
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Galax is located in Galax City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galax <1>
  • Grayson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Benham, with the one closest to Benham listed first.
    • Low Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Baywood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Independence
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Fries
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fries is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fries
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fries <1>
    • Bridle Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek

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

Cemeteries Near Benham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Benham.

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

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

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

  • Grassy Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • State Road Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Knobs Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Center Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jonesville Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Roaring Gap Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Arlington Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Mulberry Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (354 more) ...
    • Mountain Park Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Mountain Park.
      • The Mountain Park Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Mountain Park Baptist Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2197374 <2>
    • Long Bottom Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Old Brier Creek Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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 in 1895, Benham had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Elkin Valley
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
  • State Road
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Ronda
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Elkin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Austin
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Austin is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin
  • Lomax
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
  • Jonesville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Clingman
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
  • Traphill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Brier Creek ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Brier Creek is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier Creek
  • Swan Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
  • Rusk ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Rusk is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Dellaplane
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Dellaplane is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellaplane
    • Rena
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Devotion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion

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

Newspapers Published in Benham ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Benham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Benham, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Benham.

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 Benham:

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 Benham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Benham) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.