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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 Oakdale (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 Oakdale. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Oakdale is located in Guilford 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 Guilford County: Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Forsyth, Randolph, Rockingham & Stokes.

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

  • Guilford County     (The home county of Oakdale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Jamestown
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Kirkman Crossroad
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Kirkman Crossroad is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman Crossroad
    • Freeman Mill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Freeman Mill is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Mill
    • Allen Jay
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Allen Jay is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Jay
    • Sherwood Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sherwood Village is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Village
    • High Point
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Latham Town
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Latham Town is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham Town
    • Pomona
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Pomona is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
    • Guilford College
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Guilford College is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford College
    • Southmont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Southmont is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
    • Sandy Ridge
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandy Ridge is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
    • Greensboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Alamance County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Kimesville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Kimesville is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimesville
    • The Country
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • The Country is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Country
    • Glenwood Acres
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Glenwood Acres is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood Acres
    • Random Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Random Hills is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Random Hills
    • Westbrook Forest
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Westbrook Forest is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook Forest
    • Westbrook
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Westbrook is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
    • Alamance
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Alamance is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamance
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,047 people
    • Country Club Acres
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Country Club Acres is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Country Club Acres
    • Deerfield
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Deerfield is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
    • Elon College
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Elon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Elon is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,186 people
    • Mark View
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Mark View is located in Alamance County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mark View
  • Davidson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Abotts Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Abotts Creek is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abotts Creek
    • Thomasville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Eden ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Eden is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
    • Fair Grove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Fair Grove is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Grove
    • Bethany ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Bethany is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
    • Wallburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Gum Tree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Gum Tree is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gum Tree
    • Midway
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Midway is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
    • Holly Grove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Holly Grove is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
    • Silver Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Silver Valley is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Valley
    • Welcome
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Jefferson Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Advance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Bermuda Run
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Horneytown
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Horneytown is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horneytown
    • Yorktown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Yorktown is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorktown
    • Beeson Crossroads
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Beeson Crossroads is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beeson Crossroads
    • Kernersville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Applegate
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Applegate is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applegate
    • Christy Acres
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Christy Acres is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christy Acres
    • Cliffwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Cliffwood is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffwood
    • Emorywood Estates
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Emorywood Estates is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emorywood Estates
    • High Meadows
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • High Meadows is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Meadows
    • Sedge Garden
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Sedge Garden is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedge Garden
    • Sun Meadows
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Sun Meadows is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sun Meadows
    • Benefit ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Benefit is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benefit
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Archdale
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Trinity
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • New Market
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • New Market is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
    • Sophia
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Randleman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Redcross
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Redcross is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redcross
    • Worthville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Worthville is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
    • Millboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Millboro is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millboro
    • Central Falls
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Central Falls is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Falls
    • Melanchton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Melanchton is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melanchton
    • Cedar Falls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Cedar Falls is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Falls
    • Asheboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Rockingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Wittys Crossroads
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Wittys Crossroads is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wittys Crossroads
    • Gold Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Gold Hill is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
    • Ellisboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
    • Belmont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Belmont is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Madison
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Norwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Norwood is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
    • Reidsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wentworth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Wentworth is located in Rockingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentworth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,734 people
    • Mayodan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale listed first.
    • Fulp
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Fulp is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulp
    • Pine Hall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Walnut Cove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Germanton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Bailey Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bailey Town is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
    • Neatman
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Neatman is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neatman
    • Meadows
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Meadows is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows

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

Cemeteries Near Oakdale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oakdale.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oakdale, with the one closest to Oakdale 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.<3>

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

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

  • Jamestown
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Freeman Mill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Freeman Mill is located in Guilford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Mill
  • High Point
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Deep River
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Archdale
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Progress
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Progress is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Progress
  • Pomona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pomona is located in Guilford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
  • Friendship
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Friendship is located in Guilford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
  • Glenola
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Glenola is located in Randolph County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenola
  • Guilford College
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Guilford College is located in Guilford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford College
  • Trinity
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Vandalia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Vandalia is located in Guilford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandalia
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Level Cross
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Level Cross is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Cross
    • Greensboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomasville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Oakdale ...

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 102 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oakdale.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oakdale, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oakdale.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Oakdale:

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 Oakdale, 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oakdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.