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 Madison (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 Madison. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Madison is located in Rockingham 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 Rockingham County: Alamance, Caswell, Guilford, Stokes, Henry (VA) & Pittsylvania (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Madison. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Madison:
- Rockingham County (The home county of Madison)
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Mayodan
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Ellisboro
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
- Gold Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Gold Hill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Stoneville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Matrimony
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Providence
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Wittys Crossroads
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Wittys Crossroads is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittys Crossroads
- Wentworth
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Wentworth is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,734 people
- College Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- College Village is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
- Norwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Norwood is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Eden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Eden is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,867 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <1>
- Fairview
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Alamance County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Altamahaw
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Altamahaw is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamahaw
- Ossipee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ossipee is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossipee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
- Caswell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Ashland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ashland is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Quick
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Quick is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
- Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bethel is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Locust Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Locust Hill is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Pelham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Pelham is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Davidson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Abotts Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Abotts Creek is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abotts Creek
- Wallburg
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Gum Tree
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gum Tree is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Tree
- Forsyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Stonewood Acres
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Stonewood Acres is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewood Acres
- Belews Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Belews Creek is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belews Creek
- Brinkley Estates
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Brinkley Estates is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkley Estates
- Crims Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Crims Crossroads is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crims Crossroads
- Pine Knolls
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Pine Knolls is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Knolls
- White Road ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- White Road is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Road
- Bonanza Hills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bonanza Hills is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonanza Hills
- Dennis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Dennis is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
- Kynwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kynwood is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kynwood
- Benefit ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Benefit is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benefit
- Abington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Abington is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abington
- Greystone Forest
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Greystone Forest is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greystone Forest
- Smokerise
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Smokerise is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smokerise
- Guilford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Stokesdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Scalesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Scalesville is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalesville
- Summerfield
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Oak Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Browns Summit
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Colfax
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Rudd
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rudd is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudd
- Spicewood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Spicewood is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicewood
- Guilford College
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Guilford College is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford College
- Sandy Ridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Fairfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- White Oak
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- White Oak is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Greensboro
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Stokes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Pine Hall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Upper Sawra Town ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Upper Sawra Town is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Sawra Town
- Amostown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Amostown is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amostown
- Sandy Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bailey Town
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bailey Town is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Oak Ridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Oak Ridge is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Walnut Cove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Meadows
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Meadows is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Fulp
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Fulp is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulp
- Danbury
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Snow Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Snow Hill is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Lawsonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Lawsonville is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Germanton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Pilot Mountain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Westfield
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Albion
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Albion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Boyden ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Boyden is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Mount Herman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Herman is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
- Shoals
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Shoals is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoals
- Franklin County (VA)
- Henry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Henry County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Ridgeway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Horse Pasture
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Preston
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Preston is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Sandy Level
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Sandy Level is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Level
- Chatmoss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Irisburg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Fieldale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Villa Heights
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Collinsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Laurel Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Axton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Stanleytown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bassett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Martinsville City (VA)
- Martinsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Patrick County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Nettleridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Stella
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Stella is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Critz
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Patrick Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Peters Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Stuart
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Elamsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Cascade
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Madison, see our County-by-County Page for Madison.
Cemeteries Near Madison ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Madison.
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 Madison - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Madison covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Madison Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Gallaway Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Woodland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Riverview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mayodan Municipal Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Clearview Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Llewellyn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Newnam Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Eden Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Eden UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden UMC Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Eden UMC Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located less than 2 miles<2> to the west of Ellisboro.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1989052 <3>
- Hunter Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gallaway Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (290 more) ...
- Mt. Herman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Beaver Island Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Pine Hall Presbyterian Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
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 Madison had a population of 450 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Madison had a population of 2,108 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Madison, with the one closest to Madison listed first.
- Ellisboro
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
- Beaver Island
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Beaver Island is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Island
- Pine Hall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Stoneville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dillard
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Dillard is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillard
- Pleasantville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Pleasantville is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantville
- Prestonville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Prestonville is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestonville
- Delta
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Delta is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Stokesdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Matrimony
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Sandy Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut Cove
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Belews Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Belews Creek is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belews Creek
- Price
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Price is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Price
- Meadows
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Meadows is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Madison. See our List of 1890's Communities around Madison.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Madison ...
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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Madison.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Madison. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Madison and those printed in the larger area surrounding Madison.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2> of Madison.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Madison:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Rockingham County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alamance County
- Caswell County
- Davidson County
- Forsyth County
- Guilford County
- Stokes County
- Surry County
- Franklin County
- Henry County
- Martinsville City
- Patrick County
- Pittsylvania 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Madison) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Madison, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |