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Home >> State of North Carolina >> Surry County >> Oak Grove >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Oak Grove (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 Oak Grove. 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 Oak Grove ...

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 occur.

Another variation: Oakgrove.

  • A typical abbreviation for Oak Grove: Oak Grv.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Grove.

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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Oak Grove is located in Surry 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 Surry County: Alleghany, Forsyth, Stokes, Wilkes, Yadkin, Carroll (VA), Grayson (VA) & Patrick (VA).

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

  • Surry County     (The home county of Oak Grove)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Sheltontown
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
      • Sheltontown is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
    • Flat Rock
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Flat Rock is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Mount Airy
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Holly Springs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Holly Springs is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Toast
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Toast is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toast
    • White Plains
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • White Plains is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • Ararat
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
    • Mount Herman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Herman is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
    • Black Water
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Black Water is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Water
    • Red Brush
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Red Brush is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Brush
    • Albion
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Albion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Edmonds
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Ennice
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Roaring Gap
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Hooker
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Hooker is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Glade Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Sparta
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Heritage Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
    • Donnaha
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Donnaha is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
    • King
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • King is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,912 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for King <1>
    • The Meadows
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • The Meadows is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
    • Tobaccoville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dozier
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Dozier is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozier
    • Oak Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Oak Park is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
    • Rural Hall
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Seward
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Seward is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
    • Bannertown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Bannertown is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannertown
    • Chestnut Trails
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Chestnut Trails is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Trails
    • Creek View
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Creek View is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek View
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Flat Rock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Flat Rock is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
    • Pinnacle
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Aarons Corner
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
    • Vade Mecum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
    • Capella
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Capella is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capella
    • Mount Olive
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Olive is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Campbell
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Campbell is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
    • Lawsonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Lawsonville is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
    • Quaker Gap
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
    • Danbury
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Snow Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Snow Hill is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
    • Neatman
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Neatman is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neatman
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Pleasant Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Lomax
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
    • Ronda
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Traphill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Clingman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
    • Zebra ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Zebra is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
    • Roaring River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Roaring River is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring River
    • Abshers
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Abshers is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
    • Moxley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Moxley is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Richmond Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Richmond Hill is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Hill
    • Mount Pleasant
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Boonville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • East Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Nebo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Nebo is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
    • Union Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Union Grove is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
    • Forbush
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Forbush is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbush
    • Jonesville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Arlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Rena
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Yadkinville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Branon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
  • Carroll County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Cana
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Lambsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Gladesboro
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Gladesboro is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
    • Fancy Gap
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Nester
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Nester is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
    • Drenn
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
    • Pike City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Pike City is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
    • Pipers Gap
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
    • Hillsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodlawn
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Dugspur
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Star
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Star is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
  • Floyd County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Indian Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Duncan
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Duncan is located in Floyd County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
  • Galax City (VA)
    • Galax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Galax is located in Galax City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galax <1>
  • Grayson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Low Gap
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Baywood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Fries
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Fries is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fries
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fries <1>
  • Patrick County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
    • Ararat
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Carters Mill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
    • Peters Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
    • Meadows of Dan
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Stuart
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Stuart is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,261 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stuart <1>
    • Patrick Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Nettleridge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Nettleridge is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
    • Critz
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Woolwine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Stella
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Stella is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Elamsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Elamsville is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
    • Charity
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Charity is located in Patrick County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity

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

Cemeteries Near Oak Grove ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Grove.

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 Oak Grove - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Skyline Memorial Garden
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • James Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for James Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the James Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery is located in Sheltontown.
    • The James Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hiatt Memorial Cemetery
    • Monroe Hiatt Memorial Cemetery
    • Old Mormon Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2258802 <2>
  • Midkiff Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Old Methodist Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Ararat Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Holly Springs Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Paynetown Community Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Oakdale Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale Cemetery
    • The Oakdale Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Oakdale City Cemetery
    • Oakdale Memorial Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1984350 <2>
  • Gods Acre Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Grace Moravian God's Acre
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • White Plains Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • The Peoples Church Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (663 more) ...
    • Salem Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sandy Level Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • White Plains Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 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.<3>

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

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

  • Mount Airy
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • White Plains
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • White Plains is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
  • Ararat
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
  • Ash Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Ash Hill is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Hill
  • Westfield
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Pine Ridge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Pine Ridge is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Ridge
  • Cana
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Pilot Mountain
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Carters Mill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
  • Dobson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Copeland
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Copeland is located in Surry County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copeland
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Round Peak
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Round Peak is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Peak
    • Francisco
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Francisco is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
    • Lambsburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Oak Grove ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Grove.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Grove, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Grove.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Oak Grove:

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>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 Oak Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Oak Grove) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.