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 Nags Head (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 Nags Head. 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 Nags Head ...

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.

While the name of this town is Nags Head, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Nags Head may originally have been Nag's Head.

Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Nags Head might be written as Nag Head.

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.

Nags Head is located in Dare 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 Dare County: Hyde & Tyrrell.

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

• Dare County     (The home county of Nags Head)
  • The following are listed by their distance from Nags Head, with the one closest to Nags Head listed first.
  • Whalebone
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whalebone
    • Whalebone is located in Dare County
  • Manteo
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manteo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteo
    • Manteo is located in Dare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,468 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manteo <3>
  • Kill Devil Hills
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kill Devil Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kill Devil Hills
    • Kill Devil Hills is located in Dare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,413 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kill Devil Hills <3>
  • Fort Raleigh City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Raleigh City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Raleigh City
    • Fort Raleigh City is located in Dare County
  • Wanchese
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wanchese have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanchese
    • Wanchese is located in Dare County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wanchese <3>
  • Manns Harbor
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manns Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manns Harbor
    • Manns Harbor is located in Dare County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manns Harbor <3>
  • Kitty Hawk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kitty Hawk have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kitty Hawk
    • Kitty Hawk is located in Dare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,598 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kitty Hawk <3>
  • Southern Shores
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Southern Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southern Shores
    • Southern Shores is located in Dare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,997 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Southern Shores <3>
  • George Town Sands
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for George Town Sands have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for George Town Sands
    • George Town Sands is located in Dare County
  • Poteskeet Village
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Poteskeet Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poteskeet Village
    • Poteskeet Village is located in Dare County
  • Duck
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Duck have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck
    • Duck is located in Dare County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 394 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duck <3>
  • Buffalo City
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo City
    • Buffalo City is located in Dare County
• Currituck County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Nags Head, with the one closest to Nags Head listed first.
  • Point Harbor
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Point Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Harbor
    • Point Harbor is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Point Harbor <3>
  • Harbinger
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbinger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbinger
    • Harbinger is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbinger <3>
  • Powells Point
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powells Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powells Point
    • Powells Point is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powells Point <3>
  • Jarvisburg
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarvisburg
    • Jarvisburg is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jarvisburg <3>
  • Grandy
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grandy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandy
    • Grandy is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grandy <3>
  • Bertha
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
    • Bertha is located in Currituck County
  • Poplar Branch
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Branch
    • Poplar Branch is located in Currituck County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poplar Branch <3>
• Tyrrell County
  • The following are listed by their distance from Nags Head, with the one closest to Nags Head listed first.
  • Fort Landing
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Landing
    • Fort Landing is located in Tyrrell County
  • Alligator
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alligator
    • Alligator is located in Tyrrell County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Nags Head ...

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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Nags Head.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

• A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Nags Head. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Nags Head and those printed in the larger area surrounding Nags Head.
• An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 3 miles [4.8 km]<4> of Nags Head.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Nags Head:

• Websites specific to North Carolina
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Website for the //archives.ncdcr.gov/

• Pages specific to Dare County
  • Jump to Cyndi's List
  • Jump to Family Search
  • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Genealogy information for nearby counties
  • Currituck County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails
  • Tyrrell County
    • Jump to Cyndi's List
    • Jump to Family Search
    • Jump to Genealogy Trails

• Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
  • Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of North Carolina
  • Cyndi's List
  • Cemeteries of North Carolina
  • Cemeteries of Dare County
  • FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of North Carolina
  • Find-A-Grave: Home Page
  • Interment.net
  • Cemeteries of North Carolina
  • Cemeteries of Dare County

Cemeteries Near Nags Head ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Nags Head.

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

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

• Willis Tillett Cemetery
  (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willis Tillett Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2404993 <5>
• Hilltop Cemetery
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hilltop Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hilltop Cemetery
• Baum Cemetery
  (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baum Cemetery
• Austin Cemetery
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Austin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Austin Cemetery
• Shiloh Church Cemetery
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shiloh Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shiloh Church Cemetery
• Aydlett, Sawyer & Guard Cemetery
  (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aydlett, Sawyer & Guard Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2322736 <5>
• Salvo Campground Cemetery
  (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • The Salvo Campground Cemetery has also been known as:
  • Midgett Cemetery
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salvo Campground Cemetery
  • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2138394 <5>

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Nags Head had a population of 19 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Nags Head had a population of 2,997 people.

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

• Manteo
  (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manteo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manteo
  • Manteo is located in Dare County
  • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,468 people
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manteo <3>
• Wanchese
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wanchese have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanchese
  • Wanchese is located in Dare County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wanchese <3>
• Colington
  (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colington
  • Colington is located in Dare County
• Manns Harbor
  (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manns Harbor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manns Harbor
  • Manns Harbor is located in Dare County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manns Harbor <3>
• Mashoes
  (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mashoes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mashoes
  • Mashoes is located in Dare County
• Harbinger
  (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbinger have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbinger
  • Harbinger is located in Currituck County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harbinger <3>
• Buffalo City
  (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo City
  • Buffalo City is located in Dare County
• Stumpy Point
  (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stumpy Point have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stumpy Point
  • Stumpy Point is located in Dare County
• East Lake
  (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lake
  • East Lake is located in Dare County
• Jarvisburg
  (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarvisburg
  • Jarvisburg is located in Currituck County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jarvisburg <3>
• Rodanthe
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rodanthe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodanthe
  • Rodanthe is located in Dare County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rodanthe <3>
• Fort Landing
  (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Landing
  • Fort Landing is located in Tyrrell County
• Poplar Branch
  (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Branch
  • Poplar Branch is located in Currituck County
  • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Poplar Branch <3>

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

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Nags Head: www.townofnagshead.net/

The official website for Dare County: www.co.dare.nc.us/

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