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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 Harnett (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 Harnett. 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 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.

Harnett is located in Harnett 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 Harnett County: Chatham, Cumberland, Johnston, Lee, Sampson & Wake.

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

  • Harnett County     (The home county of Harnett)
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett listed first.
    • Corinth
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Brickhaven
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Haywood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Haywood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haywood
      • Haywood is located in Chatham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Haywood
      • From Harnett to Haywood
    • Moncure
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Farmville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
      • Farmville is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmville <2>
    • Cary
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cary have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cary
      • Cary is located in Chatham County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173,587 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cary <2>
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett listed first.
    • Linden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Godwin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Wade
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Falcon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falcon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
      • Falcon is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
    • Manchester
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manchester. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Cumberland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Manchester
      • From Harnett to Manchester
    • Spring Lake
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
      • Spring Lake is located in Cumberland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,980 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Lake <2>
    • North Point Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Point Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Point Village
      • North Point Village is located in Cumberland County
    • Eastover
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Shaw
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Holly Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
      • Holly Springs is located in Cumberland County
    • Fort Bragg
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Bonnie Doone
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonnie Doone have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnie Doone
      • Bonnie Doone is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bonnie Doone <2>
  • Hoke County
    • Rockfish
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockfish have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfish
      • Rockfish is located in Hoke County
  • Johnston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett listed first.
    • Benson
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Allens Crossroads
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • McKoy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McKoy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKoy
      • McKoy is located in Johnston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McKoy
      • From Harnett to McKoy
    • Peacocks Crossroads
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Four Oaks
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Oaks have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Oaks
      • Four Oaks is located in Johnston County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,387 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Four Oaks <2>
    • Harper
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harper. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harper
      • Harper is located in Johnston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harper
      • From Harnett to Harper
    • Bentonville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bentonville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bentonville
      • Bentonville is located in Johnston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bentonville
      • From Harnett to Bentonville
    • Smithfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • West Smithfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Smithfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Smithfield
      • West Smithfield is located in Johnston County
    • Clayton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Fairfield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
      • Fairfield is located in Johnston County
    • Wilson's Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Lee County
  • Moore County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett listed first.
    • Mount Pleasant
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Moore County
    • Cameron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cameron have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cameron
      • Cameron is located in Moore County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cameron <2>
    • Vass
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Lakeview
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Sampson County
  • Wake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett listed first.
    • Kennebec
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Fuquay - Varina
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fuquay - Varina have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuquay - Varina
      • Fuquay - Varina is located in Wake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32,145 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fuquay - Varina <2>
    • Mount Pleasant
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Pleasant have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Wake County
    • Wilbon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wilbon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbon
      • Wilbon is located in Wake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wilbon
      • From Harnett to Wilbon
    • Hollemans Crossroads
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Macks Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Macks Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macks Village
      • Macks Village is located in Wake County
    • Holly Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holly Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
      • Holly Springs is located in Wake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,882 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holly Springs <2>
    • McCullers
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McCullers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCullers
      • McCullers is located in Wake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McCullers
      • From Harnett to McCullers
    • New Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Hopedale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Apex
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apex have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apex
      • Apex is located in Wake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 64,388 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apex <2>
    • Auburn
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Harnett ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Harnett.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Harnett, with the one closest to Harnett 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.<6>

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

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

  • Bunnlevel
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Lillington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Turlington
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Turlington. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turlington
    • Turlington is located in Harnett County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Turlington
    • From Harnett to Turlington
  • Averasboro ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Carlos
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carlos have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carlos
    • Carlos is located in Cumberland County
  • Godwin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Dunn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Barclaysville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Wade
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Benson
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Manchester
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manchester. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
    • Manchester is located in Cumberland County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Manchester
    • From Harnett to Manchester
  • Spout Springs
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Mingo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mingo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mingo
      • Mingo is located in Sampson County
    • McKoy
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McKoy. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKoy
      • McKoy is located in Johnston County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to McKoy
      • From Harnett to McKoy
    • Clement
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clement have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clement
      • Clement is located in Sampson County

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

Newspapers Published in Harnett ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Harnett.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Harnett, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Harnett.

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 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 Harnett:

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

The official website for Harnett County: www.harnett.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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.
<5>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- Harnett) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Harnett. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.3459, Longitude: -78.7923       In this case, the coordinates for Harnett have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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 Harnett, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025