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 Laurel (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 Laurel. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Laurel is located in Franklin 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 Franklin County: Granville, Halifax, Nash, Vance, Wake & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Laurel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel:
- Franklin County (The home county of Laurel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Alert
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Alert is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alert
- Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2017: 102 people
- White Level
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- White Level is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Level
- Ingleside
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ingleside is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Lake View
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lake View is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Mapleville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- Louisburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Katesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Katesville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
- Bunn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Franklinton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sutton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Sutton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
- Youngsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Edgecombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Battleboro
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Whitakers
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Rocky Mount
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sharpsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gethsemane
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Gethsemane is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gethsemane
- Granville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Fairport
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Fairport is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Wilton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Wilton is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Clay
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Clay is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Oxford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Tar River
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Tar River is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Townsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Energy
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Energy is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
- Hester
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Hester is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Providence
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Providence is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Gela
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Gela is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gela
- Stovall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stovall is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stovall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Creedmoor
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Hollister
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- White Oak
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- White Oak is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Brinkleyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Brinkleyville is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkleyville
- Ringwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Ringwood is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ringwood
- Airlie
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Airlie is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Airlie
- Littleton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Heathsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Heathsville is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heathsville
- Enfield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Nash County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Castalia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Castalia is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Lancaster Crossroads
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mays Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Mays Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Crossroads
- Matthews Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Matthews Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matthews Crossroads
- Edwards Crossroads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Edwards Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards Crossroads
- Taylors Store
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Taylors Store is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Store
- Aventon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Aventon is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aventon
- Hunts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hunts is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts
- Bass Crossroads
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bass Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bass Crossroads
- Dukes
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Dukes is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dukes
- Hilliardston
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Hilliardston is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilliardston
- Corinth
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Corinth is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corinth
- Vance County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Bobbitt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Gillburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Adcock Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Adcock Crossroads is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adcock Crossroads
- Bear Pond
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bear Pond is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Pond
- Gill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Gill is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill
- Kittrell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Henderson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- South Henderson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- South Henderson is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Henderson
- Middleburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Flat Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Flat Rock is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Drewry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Drewry is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewry
- Dabney
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dabney is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Wake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Forestville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Forestville is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Rolesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Zebulon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- New Light
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- New Light is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Wyatt
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wyatt is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- Falls
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Falls is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
- Stony Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Stony Hill is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Hill
- Neuse Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Neuse Crossroads is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neuse Crossroads
- Neuse
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wendell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Eagle Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Eagle Rock is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Rock
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Lickskillet
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Lickskillet is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Afton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Afton is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
- Arcola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Arcola is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Warrenton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Snow Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Snow Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Soul City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Soul City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soul City
- Manson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Macon
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Norlina
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Warren Plains
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Warren Plains is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Plains
- Vaughan
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wise
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Wise is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wise
- Wilson County
- Sims
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Mecklenburg County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Palmer Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Palmer Springs is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer Springs
- Bracey
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Cusco Willa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Cusco Willa is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusco Willa
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel.
Cemeteries Near Laurel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel.
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 Laurel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Highland Memory Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- White Level Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Stallings Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Gay Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Harper Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- New Sandy Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Vick Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Saunders Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Allen C. Perry Family Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Boseman Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Taylor Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (157 more) ...
- Avent Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lynch Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mullen Family Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Laurel had a population of 63 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel, with the one closest to Laurel listed first.
- Moulton
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Moulton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moulton
- Centerville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2017: 102 people
- Ingleside
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ingleside is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Mapleville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- Louisburg
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Justice
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Justice is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Justice
- Inez
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Inez is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inez
- Castalia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Castalia is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Epsom
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Epsom is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epsom
- Letha ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Letha is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letha
- Katesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Katesville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
- Bobbitt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Continue List (19 more) ...
- Afton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Afton is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
- Gillburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Hunts
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hunts is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel.
Newspapers Published in Laurel ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel.
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 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 Laurel:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Edgecombe County
- Granville County
- Halifax County
- Nash County
- Vance County
- Wake County
- Warren County
- Wilson County
- Mecklenburg County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
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' (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- Laurel) 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 Laurel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |