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 Ridge (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 Ridge. 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 Ridge ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Oak Ridge: Oak Rdg. (or less commonly used: Oak Rdge. or Oak Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Ridge.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the 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.
Oak Ridge is located in Stokes 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 Stokes County: Forsyth, Rockingham, Surry, Henry (VA) & Patrick (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Oak Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak Ridge:
- Stokes County (The home county of Oak Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Sandy Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Snow Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Snow Hill is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Amostown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Amostown is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amostown
- Lawsonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lawsonville is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Campbell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Upper Sawra Town ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Upper Sawra Town is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upper Sawra Town
- Danbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Meadows
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Aarons Corner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
- Vade Mecum
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
- Bailey Town
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Bailey Town is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Pine Hall
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Quaker Gap
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
- Forsyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Stonewood Acres
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Stonewood Acres is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewood Acres
- Bannertown
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Bannertown is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannertown
- Belews Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Belews Creek is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belews Creek
- Brinkley Estates
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Brinkley Estates is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brinkley Estates
- Chestnut Trails
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Chestnut Trails is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Trails
- Crims Crossroads
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Crims Crossroads is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crims Crossroads
- Dennis
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dennis is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
- King
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rural Hall
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Knolls
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Pine Knolls is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Knolls
- White Road ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- White Road is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Road
- Abington
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Abington is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abington
- Bonanza Hills
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Bonanza Hills is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonanza Hills
- Guilford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Stokesdale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Scalesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Scalesville is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalesville
- Summerfield
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Colfax
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Sandy Ridge
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sandy Ridge is located in Guilford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
- Browns Summit
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rockingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Mayodan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Madison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Stoneville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Matrimony
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Ellisboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
- Shiloh
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Providence
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Gold Hill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Gold Hill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Fairview
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Fairview is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Eden
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Eden is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,867 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <1>
- Spray ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Spray is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spray
- College Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- College Village is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
- Meadow Summit
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Meadow Summit is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Summit
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Albion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Albion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Westfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Mount Herman
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Mount Herman is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
- Pilot Mountain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Holly Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Holly Springs is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Sheltontown
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Sheltontown is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
- Ararat
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Flat Rock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Flat Rock is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- Boyden ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Boyden is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
- Shoals
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shoals is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoals
- Mount Airy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pine Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Hill is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill
- Yadkin County
- East Bend
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Carroll County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Pike City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pike City is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
- Nester
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Nester is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
- Gladesboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Gladesboro is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
- Cana
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Floyd County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Haycock
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Floyd
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pizarro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Franklin County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Henry
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Prilliman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Prilliman is located in Franklin County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prilliman
- Ferrum
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Sydnorsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
- Henry County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Horse Pasture
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Preston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Preston is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Ridgeway
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Fieldale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Collinsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Villa Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Bassett
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stanleytown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Chatmoss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Reed Creek Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Irisburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Laurel Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Sandy Level
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Sandy Level is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Level
- Martinsville City (VA)
- Martinsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Patrick County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Nettleridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Critz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Stella
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Stella is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Patrick Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Peters Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Stuart
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Elamsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Carters Mill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Meadows of Dan
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Woolwine
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Charity
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Charity is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Dodson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
- Ararat
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Cascade
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Oak Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Oak Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Ridge.
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 Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Joyce Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joyce Cemetery
- The Joyce Cemetery has also been known as:
- Joyce Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #47833 <2>
- Hill Top Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Prestonville Martin - Joyce Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Davis Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Martin - Hall Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Joyce Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Nettle Ridge Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Concord Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Alexander Martin Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (521 more) ...
- Ayersville Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Harris Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Gibson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
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 Oak Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak Ridge, with the one closest to Oak Ridge listed first.
- Sandy Ridge
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Delta
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Delta is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delta
- Prestonville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Prestonville is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prestonville
- Nettleridge
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Palmetto
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Palmetto is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
- Campbell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Danbury
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Dillard
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Dillard is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillard
- Beaver Island
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Beaver Island is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Island
- Critz
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Meadows
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Meadows is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Stella
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Stella is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Patrick Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Spencer
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Spencer is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer
- Madison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oak Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Oak Ridge ...
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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Ridge, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Ridge.
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 helpful 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 Ridge:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Stokes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Forsyth County
- Guilford County
- Rockingham County
- Surry County
- Yadkin County
- Carroll County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Henry County
- Martinsville City
- Patrick County
- Pittsylvania County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oak Ridge) 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 Oak Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |