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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 Morgantown (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 Morgantown. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Morgantown is located in Alamance 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 Alamance County: Caswell, Chatham, Guilford, Orange, Randolph & Rockingham.

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

  • Alamance County     (The home county of Morgantown)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Hunting Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Hunting Hills is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Hills
    • Jackson Park
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Jackson Park is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Park
    • Lakeside
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Lakeside is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeside
    • Hopedale
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Hopedale is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopedale
    • Glencoe
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Glencoe is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
    • Carolina
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Carolina is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
    • Burlington
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Northwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Northwood is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwood
    • Beverly Hills
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Beverly Hills is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beverly Hills
    • Birchwood
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Birchwood is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
    • British Acres
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • British Acres is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for British Acres
    • Central Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Central Heights is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Heights
  • Caswell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Stony Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Stony Creek is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
    • Jericho
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Jericho is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
    • Anderson
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Anderson is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Ashland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Ashland is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
    • Prospect Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Prospect Hill is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect Hill
    • Locust Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Locust Hill is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
    • Ridgeville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Ridgeville is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
    • Quick
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Quick is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
    • West Yanceyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • West Yanceyville is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yanceyville
    • Yanceyville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Bethel
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Bethel is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Leasburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Siler City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Bynum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Bynum is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bynum
    • Fearrington Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Fearrington Village is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fearrington Village
  • Durham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • The American Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • The American Village is located in Durham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
    • Rougemont
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Bahama
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Durham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Guilford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Gibsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Whitsett
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Sedalia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Sedalia is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 689 people
    • McLeansville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Browns Summit
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Rudd
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Rudd is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudd
    • Forest Oaks
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest Oaks is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Oaks
    • Julian
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Cumberland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Cumberland is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland
    • White Oak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • White Oak is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Greensboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Spicewood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Spicewood is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spicewood
  • Orange County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Lakeview Acres
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Lakeview Acres is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Acres
    • Cheeks Crossroads
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Cheeks Crossroads is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheeks Crossroads
    • Miles
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Miles is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miles
    • Carr
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Carr is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carr
    • Cedar Grove
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Efland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jordan Oak
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jordan Oak is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan Oak
    • McDade
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • McDade is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDade
    • Stagecoach Forest
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Stagecoach Forest is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach Forest
    • Walkers Landing
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Walkers Landing is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkers Landing
    • Oaks
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Oaks is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oaks
    • Teer
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Teer is located in Orange County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teer
  • Person County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Hurdle Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Allens Level
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Allens Level is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Level
    • Roseville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Roseville is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
    • Cates
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Cates is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cates
    • Timberlake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Whitt Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Whitt Town is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
    • Hicks Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Hicks Village is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Village
    • Concord
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Concord is located in Person County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Liberty
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Melanchton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Melanchton is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melanchton
    • Redcross
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Redcross is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redcross
    • Staley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Millboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Millboro is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millboro
    • Franklinville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ramseur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Randleman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Worthville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Worthville is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
    • Cedar Falls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Cedar Falls is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Falls
  • Rockingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morgantown, with the one closest to Morgantown listed first.
    • Lawsonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Lawsonville is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
    • Belmont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Belmont is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Reidsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Norwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Norwood is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Ruffin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Wentworth
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wentworth is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,734 people
    • Wittys Crossroads
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wittys Crossroads is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittys Crossroads
    • College Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • College Village is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
    • Draper ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Draper is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper

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

Cemeteries Near Morgantown ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Morgantown.

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

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

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

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

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

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

  • Burlington
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Graham
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Graham is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,766 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Graham <1>
  • Elon College
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Haw River
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • McCray
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • McCray is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCray
  • Gibsonville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Union Ridge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Union Ridge is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Ridge
  • Altamahaw
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Altamahaw is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamahaw
  • Swepsonville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Swepsonville is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swepsonville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,386 people
  • Hawfields
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hawfields is located in Alamance County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawfields
  • Mebane
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Stony Creek
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Stony Creek is located in Caswell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Rock Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Rock Creek is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Creek
    • Cherry Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Cherry Grove is located in Caswell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
    • McLeansville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Morgantown ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around Morgantown.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Morgantown, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Morgantown.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Morgantown:

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