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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 McDonald (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 McDonald. 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 McDonald ...

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 have occurred.

Another variation: McDonalds.

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.

McDonald is located in Robeson 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 Robeson County: Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Hoke, Scotland, Dillon (SC) & Marlboro (SC).

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

  • Robeson County     (The home county of McDonald)
    • The following are listed by their distance from McDonald, with the one closest to McDonald listed first.
    • Raynham
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raynham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham
      • Raynham is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
    • Elrod
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elrod have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elrod
      • Elrod is located in Robeson County
    • Fairmont
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rowland
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
      • Rowland is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 985 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rowland <2>
    • Lowe
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowe
      • Lowe is located in Robeson County
    • Pembroke
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Alfordsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Pates
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pates. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pates
      • Pates is located in Robeson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pates
      • From McDonald to Pates
    • Proctorville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctorville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
      • Proctorville is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Lumberton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Raemon
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raemon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raemon
      • Raemon is located in Robeson County
    • Red Banks
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Orrum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
      • Orrum is located in Robeson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Bladen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McDonald, with the one closest to McDonald listed first.
    • Butters
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butters have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
      • Butters is located in Bladen County
    • Bladenboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bladenboro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bladenboro
      • Bladenboro is located in Bladen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,697 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bladenboro <2>
    • Abbottsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Tar Heel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Dublin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dublin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Dublin is located in Bladen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • Clarkton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkton
      • Clarkton is located in Bladen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 741 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkton <2>
    • White Oak
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Ruskin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Columbus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McDonald, with the one closest to McDonald listed first.
    • Boardman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boardman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardman
      • Boardman is located in Columbus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Evergreen
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Fair Bluff
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fair Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
      • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
    • Williamson Crossroads
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cerro Gordo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
      • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Mount Olive
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Olive have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
      • Mount Olive is located in Columbus County
    • Cedar Grove
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Grist
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Chadbourn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Clarendon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Whiteville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Hoke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McDonald, with the one closest to McDonald listed first.
    • Dundarrach
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundarrach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundarrach
      • Dundarrach is located in Hoke County
    • Gold Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gold Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
      • Gold Hill is located in Hoke County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gold Hill
      • From McDonald to Gold Hill
    • Bowmore
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bowmore have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmore
      • Bowmore is located in Hoke County
    • Raeford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raeford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raeford
      • Raeford is located in Hoke County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raeford <2>
    • Rockfish
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rockfish have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockfish
      • Rockfish is located in Hoke County
    • Silver City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silver City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
      • Silver City is located in Hoke County
  • Scotland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from McDonald, with the one closest to McDonald listed first.
    • Hasty
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hasty. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hasty
      • Hasty is located in Scotland County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hasty
      • From McDonald to Hasty
    • East Laurinburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Laurinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laurinburg
      • East Laurinburg is located in Scotland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 277 people
    • Laurinburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurinburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurinburg
      • Laurinburg is located in Scotland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,896 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurinburg <2>
    • Crump Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crump Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crump Town
      • Crump Town is located in Scotland County
    • New Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Town
      • New Town is located in Scotland County
    • Wagram
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wagram have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagram
      • Wagram is located in Scotland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 772 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wagram <2>
    • Laurel Hill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Laurel Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
      • Laurel Hill is located in Scotland County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Laurel Hill <2>
    • Richmond Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Gibson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gibson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gibson
      • Gibson is located in Scotland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gibson <2>
  • Dillon County (SC)
  • Marion County (SC)
  • Marlboro County (SC)

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

Cemeteries Near McDonald ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of McDonald.

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

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

  • Jenkins Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jenkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jenkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mitchell Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mitchell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mitchell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Floyd Memorial Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Floyd Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Floyd Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prevatte Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prevatte Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prevatte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McCormick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McCormick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McCormick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bullock Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bullock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bullock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Worley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Worley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Worley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bullock Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bullock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bullock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bullock Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bullock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bullock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Butler Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Butler Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Butler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (439 more) ...
    • Bullock Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bullock Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bullock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Gaddy Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gaddy Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gaddy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Britt Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Britt Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Britt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

  • Rowland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
    • Rowland is located in Robeson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 985 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rowland <2>
  • Echo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
    • Echo is located in Robeson County
  • Gaddysville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaddysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaddysville
    • Gaddysville is located in Robeson County
  • Lowe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lowe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowe
    • Lowe is located in Robeson County
  • Moss Neck
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Moss Neck have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moss Neck
    • Moss Neck is located in Robeson County
  • Pembroke
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Alfordsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Pates
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pates. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pates
    • Pates is located in Robeson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pates
    • From McDonald to Pates
  • Lumberton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Red Banks
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Orrum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orrum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
    • Orrum is located in Robeson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Barnesville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnesville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
    • Barnesville is located in Robeson County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in McDonald ...

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 45 newspapers that have been published in the area around McDonald.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of McDonald, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for McDonald.

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 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 McDonald:

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

The official website for Robeson County: www.co.robeson.nc.us/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 McDonald, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- McDonald) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in McDonald. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.5542, Longitude: -79.1753    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025