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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 Dothan (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 Dothan. 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 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.

Dothan is located in Columbus 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 Columbus County: Bladen, Brunswick, Pender, Robeson & Horry (SC).

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

  • Columbus County     (The home county of Dothan)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dothan, with the one closest to Dothan listed first.
    • Pine Level
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Pine Level is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
    • Pireway
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Pireway is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
    • Bethel
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Bethel is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Bug Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
    • Ironhill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Ironhill is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
    • Nakina
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Nakina is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nakina
    • Tabor City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Cribb Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
    • Emerson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Emerson is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
    • Clarendon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
    • Brunswick
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Cedar Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Chadbourn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Bladen County
    • Rosindale
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosindale is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
  • Brunswick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dothan, with the one closest to Dothan listed first.
    • Longwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Ash
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Ash is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
    • Carolina Shores
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Calabash
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Exum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Exum is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
    • Sunset Beach
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Makatoka
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Makatoka is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Makatoka
    • Ocean Isle Beach
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Shallotte
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Sivey Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Sivey Town is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sivey Town
    • Holden Beach
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Supply
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Varnamtown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Varnamtown is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varnamtown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
  • Horry County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Dothan, with the one closest to Dothan listed first.
    • Little Town
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Little Town is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
    • Longs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Daisy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Daisy is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Loris
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Loris is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loris
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loris <1>
    • Hand
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Hand is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
    • Cedar Creek Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Creek Village is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek Village
    • Little River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Finklea
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
    • Gurley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Gurley is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
    • Green Sea
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Atlantic Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Atlantic Beach is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
    • Cherry Grove Beach
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Nixonville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Nixonville is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nixonville
  • Marion County (SC)
    • Nichols
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Dothan ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dothan.

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 Dothan - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Marlowe Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Cox Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Butler Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Norris Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Milligan Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cartrette Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Flag Patch Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Antioch Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Springfield Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Heavenly Hills Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (226 more) ...
    • Wright Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Reaves Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Carter Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Dothan had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Pireway
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Pireway is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
  • Bug Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
  • Daisy
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Daisy is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
  • Ironhill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Ironhill is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
  • Mollie
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Mollie is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
  • Loris
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Loris is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loris
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,807 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loris <1>
  • Hammond
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Hammond is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
  • Wampee
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Wampee is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wampee
  • Iredell
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Iredell is located in Brunswick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iredell
  • Hand
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Hand is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
  • Ash
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Ash is located in Brunswick County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
  • Old Dock
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Dock is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dock
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Emerson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Emerson is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
    • Little River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarendon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon

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

Newspapers Published in Dothan ...

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 9 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dothan.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dothan, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dothan.

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 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 Dothan:

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- Dothan) 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 Dothan, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.