RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Wake County >> Glen Forest >> 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 Glen 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 Glen 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.

Name Variations for Glen Forest ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Glen Forest: Glen Frst.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Glen Forest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Glen Forest.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 doctors and 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.

Glen 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 Glen Forest. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Glen Forest:

  • Wake County     (The home county of Glen Forest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Pickwick Village
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Pickwick Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick Village
    • Meredith Townes
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Meredith Townes is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith Townes
    • Woodbury Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Woodbury Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury Village
    • Glenwood Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Glenwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Village
    • Method
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Method is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Method
    • Fairmont
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairmont is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
    • Brentwood Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Brentwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood Village
    • Millbrook
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Millbrook is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
    • Raleigh
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dutchess Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dutchess Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Village
    • Hazelwood
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Hazelwood is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Hertford Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Hertford Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hertford Village
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Cary
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (21 miles [33.8 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
    • Bynum
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Bynum is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
    • 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)
    • Pittsboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Durham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Morrisville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Nelson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Nelson is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Brassfield
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Brassfield is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
    • Parkwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Parkwood is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Durham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gorman
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Gorman is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
    • The American Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • The American Village is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
    • Bahama
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Hampton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Hampton is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Rougemont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Sutton is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
    • Katesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Katesville is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
    • Bunn
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • 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>
    • 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 Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Creedmoor
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Butner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Mount Energy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Mount Energy is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
    • Lyons
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Lyons is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
    • Wilton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Wilton is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Hester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Hester is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
    • Stem
      (24 miles [38.6 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
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Tar River is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
    • Clay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Clay is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
    • Fairport
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Fairport is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Providence
      (28 miles [45.1 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 Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Duncan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Duncan is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
    • Rawls
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Rawls is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawls
    • Angier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Chalybeate Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Chalybeate Springs is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate Springs
    • Cokesbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Cokesbury is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
    • Barclaysville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Barclaysville is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barclaysville
    • Kipling
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Kipling is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kipling
    • Cape Fear
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Buies Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Coats
      (30 miles [48.3 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>
  • Johnston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Clayton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Archer Lodge
      (21 miles [33.8 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
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Willow Springs is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
    • Wilson's Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • Stancils Chapel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Stancils Chapel is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stancils Chapel
    • West Smithfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • West Smithfield is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Smithfield
  • Nash County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Murraytown
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Murraytown is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murraytown
    • Rocky Cross
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Rocky Cross is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Cross
    • Union Hope
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Union Hope is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hope
    • Rogers Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Rogers Crossroads is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Crossroads
    • Middlesex
      (28 miles [45.1 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
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Samaria is located in Nash County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Gold Valley Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Greenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Greenwood is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Oak Hills
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
    • Davie Circle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Davie Circle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davie Circle
    • Summerfield Crossing
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Summerfield Crossing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Crossing
    • Tenney Circle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Tenney Circle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney Circle
    • Carolwoods
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Carolwoods is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolwoods
    • Ashley Forest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Ashley Forest is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Forest
    • Cedar Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Hill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
    • Chapel Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Lake Ellen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Lake Ellen is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ellen
    • Mount Bolus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Mount Bolus is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bolus
    • Timberlyne
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Timberlyne is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlyne
  • Person County
    • Moriah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Moriah is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
  • Vance County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Glen Forest, with the one closest to Glen Forest listed first.
    • Kittrell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Bobbitt
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bobbitt is located in Vance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt

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

Cemeteries Near Glen Forest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Glen 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 Glen Forest - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Raleigh Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Olivet Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Ephesus Baptist Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Restlawn Memorial Gardens
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Hill Crest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Mt. Hope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Raleigh National Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Oakwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Stephens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Franklin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Thomas Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (178 more) ...
    • Patrick Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Stephenson Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Montlawn Memorial Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)

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 Glen Forest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Glen Forest.

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

  • Six Forks
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Six Forks is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Forks
  • Method
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Method is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Method
  • Asbury
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Asbury is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury
  • Raleigh
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Millbrook
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Millbrook is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
  • Cary
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Morrisville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Neuse
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Nelson
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Nelson is located in Durham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
  • Falls
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Falls is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
  • Brassfield
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Brassfield is located in Durham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
  • Garner
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Milburnie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Milburnie is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburnie
    • Wyatt
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Wyatt is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
    • Apex
      (11 miles [17.7 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 Glen Forest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Glen Forest.

Newspapers Published in Glen 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 280 newspapers that have been published in the area around Glen Forest.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Glen Forest, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Glen 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 professional and volunteer 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 Glen 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 Glen 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' (or 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- Glen Forest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.