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 Brake (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 Brake. 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.
Brake is located in Edgecombe 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 Edgecombe County: Halifax, Martin, Nash, Pitt & Wilson.
Below are the counties that are near Brake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brake:
- Edgecombe County (The home county of Brake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Rocky Mount
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hartsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hartsboro is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsboro
- Hartsease
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hartsease is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsease
- Lancaster
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lancaster is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
- Mercer
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mercer is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Sharpsburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Battleboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Summerfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Summerfield is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield
- Leggett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Leggett is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leggett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Henrietta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Henrietta is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Fairview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Fairview is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Pinetops
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- White Level
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- White Level is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Level
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Centerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2017: 102 people
- Bunn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Mapleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- Sutton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Sutton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Fieldsboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fieldsboro is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldsboro
- Walstonburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Walstonburg is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walstonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Speights Bridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Speights Bridge is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speights Bridge
- Contentnea
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Contentnea is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contentnea
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Roseneath
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Roseneath is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseneath
- Enfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- White Oak
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- White Oak is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Hobgood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Hobgood is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hobgood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 315 people
- Ringwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ringwood is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringwood
- Braswells Crossroads
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Braswells Crossroads is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braswells Crossroads
- Scotland Neck
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Heathsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Heathsville is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathsville
- Palmyra
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Palmyra is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmyra
- Brinkleyville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Brinkleyville is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkleyville
- Hollister
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Allen Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Allen Grove is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Grove
- Martin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Oak City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Parmele
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Parmele is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parmele
- Population from the 2020 Census: 253 people
- Hassell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Hassell is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hassell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 75 people
- Gold Point
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gold Point is located in Martin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Point
- Robersonville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Hamilton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Nash County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- North Green
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- North Green is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Green
- Ashburk
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Ashburk is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashburk
- Easonburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Easonburg is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easonburg
- Halifax Crossing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Halifax Crossing is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax Crossing
- Joyners Crossing
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Joyners Crossing is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joyners Crossing
- Dortches
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dortches is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dortches
- Population from the 2020 Census: 964 people
- Drake
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Drake is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
- Langley Crossroads
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Langley Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Langley Crossroads
- Westry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Westry is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westry
- Gold Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Snells Crossroads
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Snells Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snells Crossroads
- Regency Estates
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Regency Estates is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Regency Estates
- Pitt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Fountain
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Falkland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Falkland is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falkland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Bethel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Farmville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Farmville is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,747 people
- Whitehurst
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whitehurst is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehurst
- House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- House is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for House
- Oakley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oakley is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakley
- Greenville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Red Oak
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Red Oak is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Ripple City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ripple City is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ripple City
- Congleton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Congleton is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congleton
- Stokes
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Stokes is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Warren County
- Arcola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Arcola is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Eureka
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Eureka is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Fremont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Elm City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Spring Lake is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Wilson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Eastwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Eastwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Saratoga
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Saratoga is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
- Sims
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Stantonsburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Black Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Black Creek is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
- Scotts
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Scotts is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Lucama
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brake, see our County-by-County Page for Brake.
Cemeteries Near Brake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brake.
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 Brake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Powell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Bulluck Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Northeastern Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Unity Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pineview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pineview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Old Town Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Battle Park Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Matthews Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- County Home Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- New Hope Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (182 more) ...
- Phillips Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Price Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Davis Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Brake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Brake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Brake, with the one closest to Brake listed first.
- Penelo
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Penelo is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penelo
- Rocky Mount
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Hartsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Hartsboro is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsboro
- Sharpsburg
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Battleboro
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Saint Lewis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Saint Lewis is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Lewis
- Leggett
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Leggett is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leggett
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54 people
- Elm City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Gold Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bridgersville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Bridgersville is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgersville
- Tarboro
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Whitakers
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Red Oak
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Red Oak is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Oak
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,492 people
- Nashville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Old Sparta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Old Sparta is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Sparta
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brake.
Newspapers Published in Brake ...
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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brake, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brake.
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 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 Brake:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Edgecombe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Franklin County
- Greene County
- Halifax County
- Martin County
- Nash County
- Pitt County
- Warren County
- Wayne 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Brake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Brake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |