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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 Coley Forest (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 Coley Forest. 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 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.

Coley Forest is located in Wake 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 Wake County: Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston & Nash.

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

  • Wake County     (The home county of Coley Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Glenwood Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Glenwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Village
    • Woodbury Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Woodbury Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury Village
    • Meredith Townes
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Meredith Townes is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith Townes
    • Fairmont
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Fairmont is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
    • Method
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Method is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Method
    • Pickwick Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Pickwick Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick Village
    • Raleigh
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brentwood Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Brentwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood Village
    • Skycrest Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Skycrest Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skycrest Village
    • Timberlake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Timberlake is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
    • Millbrook
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Millbrook is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
    • Hertford Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Hertford Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hertford Village
    • Dutchess Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Dutchess Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Village
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Cary
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Cary is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173,587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <1>
    • Fearrington Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Fearrington Village is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearrington Village
    • Corinth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Corinth is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
    • Haywood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Haywood is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haywood
    • Brickhaven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Brickhaven is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickhaven
    • Moncure
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bynum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Bynum is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
    • Pittsboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Durham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Morrisville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Nelson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Nelson is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Brassfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Brassfield is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
    • Parkwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Parkwood is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Durham
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Gorman
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Gorman is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
    • The American Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • The American Village is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
    • Bahama
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hampton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Hampton is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Rougemont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Wake Forest
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Youngsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Franklinton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Sutton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Sutton is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
    • Bunn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Bunn is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunn
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bunn <1>
    • Katesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Katesville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
    • Louisburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Mapleville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Mapleville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
  • Granville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Creedmoor
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Mount Energy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Mount Energy is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
    • Butner
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Lyons
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Lyons is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
    • Wilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Wilton is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Hester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Hester is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
    • Stem
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Stem is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
    • Tar River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Tar River is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
    • Clay
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Clay is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
    • Fairport
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Fairport is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Providence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Providence is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
  • Harnett County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Duncan
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Duncan is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
    • Angier
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Rawls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Rawls is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawls
    • Chalybeate Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Chalybeate Springs is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate Springs
    • Barclaysville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Barclaysville is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclaysville
    • Kipling
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Kipling is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipling
    • Cokesbury
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Cokesbury is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
    • Buies Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Cape Fear
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Coats
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Coats is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coats
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,520 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Coats <1>
    • Lillington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Luart
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Luart is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luart
  • Johnston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Clayton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Archer Lodge
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Archer Lodge is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer Lodge
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,322 people
      • Archer Lodge has also been known as:
      • Archer
    • Willow Springs
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Springs is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
    • Wilson's Mills
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Wilson's Mills is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson's Mills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,847 people
    • West Smithfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • West Smithfield is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Smithfield
    • Stancils Chapel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Stancils Chapel is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stancils Chapel
    • Fairfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairfield is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
    • Smithfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Four Oaks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Redwood Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Redwood Village is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Village
    • Selma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Selma is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Selma
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,323 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Selma <1>
  • Nash County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Murraytown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Murraytown is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murraytown
    • Rocky Cross
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Cross is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Cross
    • Rogers Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Rogers Crossroads is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Crossroads
    • Union Hope
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Union Hope is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hope
    • Middlesex
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Middlesex is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 834 people
    • Samaria
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Samaria is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Gold Valley Crossroads
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Frazier Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Frazier Crossroads is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier Crossroads
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coley Forest, with the one closest to Coley Forest listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Greenwood is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Oak Hills
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
    • Summerfield Crossing
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Summerfield Crossing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Crossing
    • Davie Circle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Davie Circle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davie Circle
    • Tenney Circle
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Tenney Circle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney Circle
    • Carolwoods
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Carolwoods is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolwoods
    • Cedar Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Hill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
    • Chapel Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Lake Ellen
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Lake Ellen is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ellen
    • Mount Bolus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Mount Bolus is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bolus
    • Stoneridge
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Stoneridge is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneridge
    • Ashley Forest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Ashley Forest is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Forest
    • Dogwood Acres
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Dogwood Acres is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dogwood Acres
  • Vance County
    • Kittrell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Coley Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Coley Forest.

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 Coley Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Raleigh National Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Raleigh Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Montlawn Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Hill Crest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Stephens Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (189 more) ...
    • Patrick Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Stephenson Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Carolina Biblical Gardens
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)

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>

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

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

  • Method
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Method is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Method
  • Raleigh
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Six Forks
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Six Forks is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Forks
  • Asbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Asbury is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury
  • Millbrook
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Millbrook is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
  • Milburnie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Milburnie is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburnie
  • Neuse
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Cary
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Cary is located in Chatham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 173,587 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <1>
  • Garner
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Falls
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Falls is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
  • Morrisville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Wyatt
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wyatt is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Nelson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Nelson is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Auburn
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Auburn is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Apex
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Apex is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apex
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apex <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Coley Forest ...

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 278 newspapers that have been published in the area around Coley Forest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Coley Forest, there are papers which were published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Coley Forest.

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 Coley Forest:

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 Coley Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Coley Forest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.