RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Surry County >> Black Water >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Black Water (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 Black Water. 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.

Black Water is located in Surry County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Surry County: Alleghany, Forsyth, Stokes, Wilkes, Yadkin, Carroll (VA), Grayson (VA) & Patrick (VA).

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

  • Surry County     (The home county of Black Water)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Ararat
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ararat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
      • Ararat is located in Surry County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ararat <2>
    • Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
      • Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
    • White Plains
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
      • White Plains is located in Surry County
    • Pine Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Copeland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Dobson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dobson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobson
      • Dobson is located in Surry County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,534 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dobson <2>
    • Holly Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Red Brush
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Stony Knoll
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Airy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Sheltontown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairview
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
      • Fairview is located in Surry County
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Roaring Gap
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring Gap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring Gap
      • Roaring Gap is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roaring Gap <2>
    • Edmonds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Edmonds. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Edmonds
      • From Black Water to Edmonds
    • Ennice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ennice have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ennice
      • Ennice is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ennice <2>
    • Hooker
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Glade Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glade Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glade Valley
      • Glade Valley is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glade Valley <2>
    • Sparta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sparta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <2>
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Pino
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pino. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino
      • Pino is located in Davie County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pino
      • From Black Water to Pino
    • Bermuda Run
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bermuda Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bermuda Run
      • Bermuda Run is located in Davie County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,726 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bermuda Run <2>
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Heritage Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heritage Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
      • Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County
    • Donnaha
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donnaha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
      • Donnaha is located in Forsyth County
    • The Meadows
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • King
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for King have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
      • King is located in Forsyth County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,912 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for King <2>
    • Tobaccoville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dozier
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dozier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozier
      • Dozier is located in Forsyth County
    • Oak Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Forsyth County
    • Hunter Meadows
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunter Meadows have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Meadows
      • Hunter Meadows is located in Forsyth County
    • Hunters Trace
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hunters Trace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunters Trace
      • Hunters Trace is located in Forsyth County
    • River Ridge Run
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for River Ridge Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Ridge Run
      • River Ridge Run is located in Forsyth County
    • Seward
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
      • Seward is located in Forsyth County
    • Sherwood Forest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sherwood Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Forest
      • Sherwood Forest is located in Forsyth County
  • Iredell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Houstonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Union Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Union Grove is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Grove <2>
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Pinnacle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Flat Rock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
      • Flat Rock is located in Stokes County
    • Mount Olive
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Capella
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Vade Mecum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vade Mecum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
      • Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County
    • Quaker Gap
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Neatman
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Aarons Corner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Danbury
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danbury
      • Danbury is located in Stokes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Danbury <2>
    • Lawsonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Germanton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Germanton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germanton
      • Germanton is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Germanton <2>
    • Campbell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Campbell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
      • Campbell is located in Stokes County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Campbell
      • From Black Water to Campbell
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Pleasant Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
    • Ronda
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ronda have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronda
      • Ronda is located in Wilkes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 406 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ronda <2>
    • Clingman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lomax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lomax. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lomax
      • From Black Water to Lomax
    • Traphill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Roaring River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roaring River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring River
      • Roaring River is located in Wilkes County
    • Brier Creek ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brier Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier Creek
      • Brier Creek is located in Wilkes County
    • New Castle ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Castle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
      • New Castle is located in Wilkes County
    • Zebra ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Zebra have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
      • Zebra is located in Wilkes County
    • Moxley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Abshers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Dehart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dehart. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
      • Dehart is located in Wilkes County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dehart
      • From Black Water to Dehart
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Black Water, with the one closest to Black Water listed first.
    • Richmond Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Yadkin County
    • Boonville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Nebo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nebo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
      • Nebo is located in Yadkin County
    • Union Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
      • Union Grove is located in Yadkin County
    • Forbush
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forbush. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbush
      • Forbush is located in Yadkin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forbush
      • From Black Water to Forbush
    • East Bend
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Arlington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
    • Jonesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jonesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jonesville
      • Jonesville is located in Yadkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,206 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jonesville <2>
    • Rena
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
    • Yadkinville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yadkinville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkinville
      • Yadkinville is located in Yadkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,874 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Yadkinville <2>
    • Branon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Branon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Branon
      • From Black Water to Branon
  • Carroll County (VA)
  • Galax City (VA)
  • Grayson County (VA)
  • Patrick County (VA)

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

Cemeteries Near Black Water ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Black Water.

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 Black Water covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<7>

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

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

  • Ash Hill
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ash Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Hill
    • Ash Hill is located in Surry County
  • Ararat
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ararat have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ararat
    • Ararat is located in Surry County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ararat <2>
  • Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Shoals have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
    • Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
  • White Plains
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • White Plains is located in Surry County
  • Copeland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Dobson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dobson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobson
    • Dobson is located in Surry County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,534 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dobson <2>
  • Mount Airy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Rockford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Siloam
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Siloam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
    • Siloam is located in Surry County
  • Pilot Mountain
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pine Ridge
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
    • Pine Ridge is located in Surry County
  • Rusk ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rusk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Rusk is located in Surry County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Crutchfield
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crutchfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crutchfield
      • Crutchfield is located in Surry County
    • Richmond Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Shoals
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Black Water ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Black Water.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Black Water, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Black Water.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Black Water:

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>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Black Water) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Black Water. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.3970, Longitude: -80.6241       In this case, the coordinates for Black Water have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<7>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 Black Water, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.