RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Surry County >> Crooked Oak >> 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 Crooked Oak (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 Crooked Oak. 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.

Crooked Oak is located in Surry 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 Surry County: Alleghany, Forsyth, Stokes, Wilkes, Yadkin, Carroll (VA), Grayson (VA) & Patrick (VA).

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

  • Surry County     (The home county of Crooked Oak)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Round Peak
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Round Peak is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Peak
    • Red Brush
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Red Brush is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Brush
    • Low Gap
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Toast
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Toast is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toast
    • Mount Airy
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • White Plains
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • White Plains is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • Flat Rock
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Flat Rock is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Dobson
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Sheltontown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Sheltontown is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
    • Zephyr
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Zephyr is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
    • Devotion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
    • Holly Springs
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Holly Springs is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Black Water
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Black Water is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Water
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Edmonds
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Ennice
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Hooker
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hooker is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Roaring Gap
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Glade Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Sparta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
    • Amelia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Amelia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Laurel Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Piney Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Scottville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Heritage Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Donnaha
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Donnaha is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
    • King
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • King is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,912 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for King <1>
    • The Meadows
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • The Meadows is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Tobaccoville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dozier
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dozier is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozier
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Flat Rock
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Flat Rock is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Pinnacle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Aarons Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
    • Vade Mecum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
    • Capella
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Capella is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capella
    • Mount Olive
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Olive is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Campbell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Campbell is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Quaker Gap
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
    • Lawsonville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Lawsonville is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Traphill
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Lomax
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
    • Abshers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Abshers is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
    • Zebra ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Zebra is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
    • Moxley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Moxley is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
    • Ronda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Clingman
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
    • Brier Creek ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Brier Creek is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brier Creek
    • Dehart
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Dehart is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
    • Roaring River
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Roaring River is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring River
    • Springfield ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Springfield is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • Hays
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Boonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Arlington
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Jonesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Richmond Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Richmond Hill is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Hill
    • Mount Pleasant
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Nebo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Nebo is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
    • Rena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Union Grove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Union Grove is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
    • Swan Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
    • East Bend
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Forbush
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Forbush is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbush
    • Cycle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Cycle is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
    • Branon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
  • Carroll County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Lambsburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Drenn
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
    • Cana
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pipers Gap
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
    • Fancy Gap
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Woodlawn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Gladesboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Gladesboro is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
    • Hillsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Nester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Nester is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
    • Star
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Star is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
    • Oak Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Grove is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Pike City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Pike City is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
    • Dugspur
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
  • Floyd County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Indian Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Duncan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Duncan is located in Floyd County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
  • Galax City (VA)
    • Galax
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Galax is located in Galax City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galax <1>
  • Grayson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Low Gap
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Baywood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Fries
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fries is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fries
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fries <1>
    • Independence
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Elk Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bridle Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
  • Patrick County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Ararat
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Carters Mill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
    • Peters Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
    • Meadows of Dan
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stuart
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Stuart is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,261 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stuart <1>
  • Wythe County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak listed first.
    • Austinville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Ivanhoe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Siloam
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Siloam is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam
    • Fort Chiswell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Fort Chiswell is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Chiswell
    • Locust Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Locust Hill is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
    • Speedwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Speedwell is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell

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

Cemeteries Near Crooked Oak ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Crooked Oak.

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 Crooked Oak - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Crooked Oak, with the one closest to Crooked Oak 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.<3>

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

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

  • Round Peak
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Round Peak is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Peak
  • Pine Ridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pine Ridge is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
  • Lambsburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Ladonia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Ladonia is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ladonia
  • Drenn
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
  • Cana
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Low Gap
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Mount Airy
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Pipers Gap
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
  • White Plains
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • White Plains is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
  • Fancy Gap
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Dobson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Edmonds
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Devotion
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
    • Woodlawn
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Crooked Oak ...

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 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Crooked Oak.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Crooked Oak, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Crooked Oak.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Crooked Oak:

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 Crooked Oak, 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- Crooked Oak) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.