RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Columbus County >> Emerson >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
North Carolina

The Commemorative Quarter for North Carolina





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 Emerson (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 Emerson. 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 northwest 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 north.

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 north 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.

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

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

  • Columbus County     (The home county of Emerson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Clarendon
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Tabor City
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Cribb Town
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cribb Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County
    • Ironhill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ironhill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
      • Ironhill is located in Columbus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ironhill
      • From Emerson to Ironhill
    • Cedar Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cedar Grove. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
      • Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cedar Grove
      • From Emerson to Cedar Grove
    • Grist
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bethel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bethel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Columbus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bethel
      • From Emerson to Bethel
    • Cerro Gordo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
      • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Chadbourn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Nakina
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Brunswick
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Level
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
      • Pine Level is located in Columbus County
    • Williamson Crossroads
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Bladen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Abbottsburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Clarkton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkton
      • Clarkton is located in Bladen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkton <1>
    • Bladenboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bladenboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladenboro
      • Bladenboro is located in Bladen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bladenboro <1>
    • Butters
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butters have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
      • Butters is located in Bladen County
    • Rosindale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rosindale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
      • Rosindale is located in Bladen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rosindale
      • From Emerson to Rosindale
    • Council
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Council have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
      • Council is located in Bladen County
  • Brunswick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Ash
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Longwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County
    • Exum
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Exum. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
      • Exum is located in Brunswick County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Exum
      • From Emerson to Exum
    • Carolina Shores
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carolina Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Makatoka
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Calabash
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sunset Beach
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunset Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunset Beach
      • Sunset Beach is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunset Beach <1>
  • Robeson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Barnesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
      • Barnesville is located in Robeson County
    • Marietta
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Marietta is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Orrum
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
      • Orrum is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Proctorville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctorville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
      • Proctorville is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Fairmont
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Allenton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Dillon County (SC)
  • Horry County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Emerson, with the one closest to Emerson listed first.
    • Green Sea
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Loris
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Finklea
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Finklea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
      • Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Finklea
      • From Emerson to Finklea
    • Daisy
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Gurley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Town
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
      • Little Town is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Longs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Cebu ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cebu have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cebu
      • Cebu is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Allen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cool Spring
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hand
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hand. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
      • Hand is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hand
      • From Emerson to Hand
    • Hickory Grove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Aynor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Marion County (SC)

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

Cemeteries Near Emerson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Emerson.

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

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

  • Norris Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norris Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hinson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hinson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Myrtle Green Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myrtle Green Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myrtle Green Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Soles Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Soles Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Soles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Todd Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Todd Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Todd Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fowler Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fowler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fowler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Graham Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graham Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fowler Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fowler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fowler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spivey Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spivey Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spivey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cribb Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cribb Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cribb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cribb Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cribb Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cribb Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Collins - Fowler Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (404 more) ...
    • Twin City Memorial Gardens
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Twin City Memorial Gardens
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Twin City Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Hardee Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardee Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Meares Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meares Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meares Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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, Emerson had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Clarendon
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ironhill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ironhill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
    • Ironhill is located in Columbus County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ironhill
    • From Emerson to Ironhill
  • Mollie
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mollie have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
    • Mollie is located in Columbus County
  • Finklea
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Finklea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
    • Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Finklea
    • From Emerson to Finklea
  • Loris
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cerro Gordo
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
    • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
  • Chadbourn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Daisy
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
  • Dothan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dothan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dothan
    • Dothan is located in Columbus County
  • Fair Bluff
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
    • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
  • Bayboro
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bayboro have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayboro
    • Bayboro is located in Horry County (SC)
  • Gurley
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Bug Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bug Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
      • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bug Hill
      • From Emerson to Bug Hill
    • Whiteville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Old Dock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Old Dock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dock
      • Old Dock is located in Columbus County

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

Newspapers Published in Emerson ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Emerson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Emerson, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Emerson.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Emerson:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Emerson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Columbus County: www.columbusco.org/main

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

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 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.
<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>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 Emerson, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Emerson) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Emerson. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.1812, Longitude: -78.8662    









 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025