RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Durham County >> Keene >> 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 Keene (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 Keene. 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.

Keene is located in Durham 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 Durham County: Chatham, Granville, Orange, Person & Wake.

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

  • Durham County     (The home county of Keene)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Durham
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Parkwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Parkwood is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
    • Brassfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Brassfield is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
    • The American Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • The American Village is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
    • Nelson
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Nelson is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Gorman
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Gorman is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
    • Morrisville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bahama
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Hampton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Hampton is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
    • Rougemont
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
  • Alamance County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Mandale
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Mandale is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mandale
    • Buena Vista Estates
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Buena Vista Estates is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista Estates
    • Mebane
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Mebane is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mebane
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,732 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mebane <1>
    • Stagecoach Trail
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Stagecoach Trail is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach Trail
    • Eli Whitney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Eli Whitney is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eli Whitney
    • Brook Hollow
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Brook Hollow is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hollow
    • Hawfields
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Hawfields is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawfields
    • Saxapahaw
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Woodlawn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodlawn is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
    • Florence Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Florence Town is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence Town
    • Melville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Melville is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melville
    • Sutphin
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Sutphin is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutphin
    • Cooper Estates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Cooper Estates is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooper Estates
  • Caswell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Prospect Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Prospect Hill is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect Hill
    • Ridgeville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Ridgeville is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Cary
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Fearrington Village is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearrington Village
    • Bynum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Bynum is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
    • Pittsboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Haywood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Haywood is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haywood
    • Moncure
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Brickhaven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Brickhaven is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickhaven
    • Corinth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Corinth is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Wake Forest
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Youngsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Franklinton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Granville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Butner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyons
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Lyons is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
    • Creedmoor
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Hester
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Hester is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
    • Mount Energy
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Energy is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
    • Stem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Stem is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
    • Wilton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilton is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
    • Tar River
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Tar River is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
    • Providence
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Providence is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Clay
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Clay is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
    • Berea
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Berea is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
    • Fairport
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairport is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
    • Oxford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Oxford is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,905 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
  • Harnett County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Duncan
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Duncan is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
    • Rawls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Rawls is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rawls
    • Cokesbury
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Cokesbury is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokesbury
    • Chalybeate Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Chalybeate Springs is located in Harnett County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalybeate Springs
  • Lee County
    • Osgood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Osgood is located in Lee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osgood
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Oak Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Oak Hills is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
    • Summerfield Crossing
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Summerfield Crossing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Crossing
    • Carolwoods
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Carolwoods is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolwoods
    • Cedar Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Cedar Hill is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
    • Davie Circle
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Davie Circle is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davie Circle
    • Greenwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Greenwood is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Eno
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Eno is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eno
    • Ashley Forest
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Ashley Forest is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Forest
    • Chapel Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lake Ellen
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Lake Ellen is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Ellen
    • Mount Bolus
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Mount Bolus is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Bolus
    • Northwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Northwood is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood
    • Stoneridge
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Stoneridge is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneridge
  • Person County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Moriah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Moriah is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
    • Mount Tirzah
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Mount Tirzah is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
    • Hurdle Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Timberlake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Cates
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Cates is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cates
    • Allens Level
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Allens Level is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Level
    • Roseville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Roseville is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
    • Whitt Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Whitt Town is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
    • Allensville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Allensville is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
  • Wake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Keene, with the one closest to Keene listed first.
    • Hazelwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Hazelwood is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Dutchess Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Dutchess Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dutchess Village
    • Pickwick Village
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pickwick Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick Village
    • Meredith Townes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Meredith Townes is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meredith Townes
    • Apex
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • 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>
    • Indian Trail
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Indian Trail is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Trail
    • Woodbury Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Woodbury Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury Village
    • Stony Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Stony Hill is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Hill
    • Glenwood Village
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Glenwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Village
    • Method
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Method is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Method
    • New Light
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • New Light is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
    • Fairmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Fairmont is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairmont
    • Brentwood Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Brentwood Village is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood Village

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

Cemeteries Near Keene ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Keene.

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

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

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

  • Glenview Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Beechwood Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Maplewood Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Woodlawn Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Chapel Hill Memorial Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Restlawn Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Oak Grove Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dunagan Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Partin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Latta Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Sparrows Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Riggsbee Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (116 more) ...

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>

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

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

  • Brassfield
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Brassfield is located in Durham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
  • Durham
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Nelson
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Nelson is located in Durham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
  • Chapel Hill
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Morrisville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Blackwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Blackwood is located in Orange County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwood
  • Fairntosh
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Fairntosh is located in Durham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairntosh
  • Cary
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Cozart
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Cozart is located in Granville County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cozart
  • Asbury
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Asbury is located in Wake County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asbury
  • Hillsborough
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Apex
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Six Forks
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Six Forks is located in Wake County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Forks
    • Knap of Reeds
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Knap of Reeds is located in Granville County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knap of Reeds
    • Bahama
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Keene. See our List of 1890's Communities around Keene.

Newspapers Published in Keene ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Keene.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Keene, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Keene.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Keene:

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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Keene) 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 Keene, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.