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 Best (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 Best. 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.
Best is located in Wayne 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 Wayne County: Duplin, Greene, Johnston, Lenoir, Sampson & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Best. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Best:
- Wayne County (The home county of Best)
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Walnut Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Creek is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 864 people
- Elroy
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Elroy is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
- Berkeley Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Berkeley Village is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkeley Village
- Saulston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saulston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulston
- Seven Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Goldsboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Genoa
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Genoa is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
- Mar-Mac Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mar-Mac Village is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar-Mac Village
- Dudley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brogden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Brogden is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brogden
- Mar-Mac
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Mar-Mac is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar-Mac
- Eureka
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Eureka is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Pikeville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Craven County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Dover
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Dover is located in Craven County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Population from the 2020 Census: 384 people
- Fort Barnwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Fort Barnwell is located in Craven County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Barnwell
- Duplin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Drummersville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Drummersville is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drummersville
- Gradys Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Gradys Crossroads is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gradys Crossroads
- Blizzards Crossroads
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Blizzards Crossroads is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blizzards Crossroads
- Outlaws Bridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Outlaws Bridge is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Outlaws Bridge
- Albertson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Albertson is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albertson
- Herrings Crossroads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Herrings Crossroads is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrings Crossroads
- Hills Crossroads
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Hills Crossroads is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills Crossroads
- Pleasant Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Scotts Store
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Scotts Store is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts Store
- Red Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Red Hill is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Summerlins Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Beautancus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Beautancus is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beautancus
- Calypso
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Calypso is located in Duplin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calypso
- Population from the 2020 Census: 528 people
- Edgecombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Macclesfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cobb Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cobb Town is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Town
- Sharp Point
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Sharp Point is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Point
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Jason
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jason is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jason
- Glenfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Glenfield is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenfield
- Snow Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Contentnea
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Contentnea is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contentnea
- Hookerton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Speights Bridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Speights Bridge is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speights Bridge
- Maury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Maury is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maury
- Walstonburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Walstonburg is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walstonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Fieldsboro
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fieldsboro is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldsboro
- Johnston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Princeton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Rains Crossroads
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rains Crossroads is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rains Crossroads
- Kenly
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Beulahtown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Beulahtown is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahtown
- Micro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Micro is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 553 people
- Pine Level
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bentonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Bentonville is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentonville
- Harper
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Harper is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
- Redwood Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Redwood Village is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Village
- Selma
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fairfield is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Smithfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Stancils Chapel
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Stancils Chapel is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stancils Chapel
- Jones County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Wise Forks
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wise Forks is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wise Forks
- Shady Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Shady Grove is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Grove
- Pleasant Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Combs Fork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Combs Fork is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Combs Fork
- Hargetts Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hargetts Crossroads is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hargetts Crossroads
- Sassers Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sassers Mill is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sassers Mill
- Taylors Corner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Taylors Corner is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Corner
- Phillips Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Phillips Crossroads is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Crossroads
- Comfort
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Comfort is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comfort
- Pollocks
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pollocks is located in Jones County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pollocks
- Lenoir County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- La Grange
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fields
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fields is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields
- Albrittons
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Albrittons is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albrittons
- Kinston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Deep Run
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Deep Run is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deep Run
- Kinfield Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Kinfield Village is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinfield Village
- Graingers
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Graingers is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graingers
- Loftins Crossroads
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Loftins Crossroads is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loftins Crossroads
- Pink Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Grifton
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Tick Bite
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Tick Bite is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tick Bite
- Pitt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Farmville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Farmville is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,747 people
- Rountree
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rountree is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rountree
- Renston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Renston is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renston
- Ayden
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Fountain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Quinerly
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Quinerly is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinerly
- Red Oak
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Red Oak is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Winterville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Coxville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Coxville is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coxville
- Summerfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Summerfield is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Falkland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Falkland is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falkland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Sampson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Newton Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Turkey
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Stantonsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Black Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Black Creek is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
- Saratoga
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Saratoga is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
- Lucama
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Eastwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Eastwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Scotts
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Scotts is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Wilson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Spring Lake
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Spring Lake is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Best, see our County-by-County Page for Best.
Cemeteries Near Best ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Best.
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 Best - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Best covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- LaGrange Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Palmer Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope Friends Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Dobbs County Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Old Mill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Greenfield Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Greenleaf Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Willow Dale Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Pine View Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Askew Family Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Askew Family Cemetery
- The Askew Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Benjamin F. Parrott Cemetery
- J.T. Askew Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2440934 <2>
- Jesse Kennedy Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (128 more) ...
- Edmondson Family Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wayne Memorial Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Augustus Church Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
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, Best had railroad service and no post office.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Best, with the one closest to Best listed first.
- Elroy
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Elroy is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
- La Grange
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jason
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Jason is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jason
- Saulston
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Saulston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulston
- Institute
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Institute is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Institute
- Shine
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shine is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shine
- Seven Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fields
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fields is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fields
- Greenleaf
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Greenleaf is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenleaf
- Goldsboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Falling Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Falling Creek is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falling Creek
- Dudley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Strabane
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Strabane is located in Lenoir County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strabane
- Glenfield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Glenfield is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenfield
- Snow Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Best. See our List of 1890's Communities around Best.
Newspapers Published in Best ...
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 62 newspapers that have been published in the area around Best.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Best, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Best.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Best:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wayne County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Craven County
- Duplin County
- Edgecombe County
- Greene County
- Johnston County
- Jones County
- Lenoir County
- Pitt County
- Sampson County
- Wilson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
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 Best, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Best) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |