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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 Parkersburg (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 Parkersburg. 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 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.

Parkersburg is located in Sampson 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 Sampson County: Bladen, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Johnston, Pender & Wayne.

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

  • Sampson County     (The home county of Parkersburg)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • McDaniels
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • McDaniels is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDaniels
    • Garland
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ingold
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Ingold is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingold
    • Snow Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Snow Hill is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
    • Beulah
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Beulah is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Roseboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bonnetsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Bonnetsville is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnetsville
    • Concord
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Concord is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Tomahawk
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Tomahawk is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
    • Salemburg
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Delway
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Delway is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delway
    • Clinton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Bladen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • Ammon
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Ammon is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
    • White Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Ruskin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ruskin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
    • White Oak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Yorick
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Yorick is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
    • Jerome
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jerome is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome
    • Elizabethtown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Olive
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Dublin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Dublin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • Tar Heel
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Kelly
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Kelly is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
    • Clarkton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Columbus County
    • Rico
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Rico is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • Stedman
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Judson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Judson is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
    • Vander
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Vander is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vander
    • Eastover
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Eastover is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastover
      • Estimated population in 2015: 3,677 people
    • Falcon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Falcon is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
    • Wade
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Wade is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 588 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wade <1>
    • Williams Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Williams Village is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williams Village
    • Fayetteville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ardulusa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Ardulusa is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardulusa
    • Godwin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hope Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Highland Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Highland Village is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Village
  • Duplin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • Harrells
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Harrells is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
    • Concord
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Concord is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Brices Crossroads
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Brices Crossroads is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brices Crossroads
    • Baltic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Baltic is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltic
    • Carroll
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Carroll is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Duff Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Duff Creek is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duff Creek
    • Magnolia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Magnolia is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 951 people
    • Safe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Safe is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Safe
    • Warsaw
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Rose Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Bowdens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bowdens is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowdens
    • Faison
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Johnston County
    • McKoy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • McKoy is located in Johnston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McKoy
  • Pender County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • Atkinson
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Willard
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Willard is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Watha
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Watha is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watha
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
  • Robeson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg listed first.
    • Rozier Siding ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Rozier Siding is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozier Siding
    • Saint Pauls
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Parkersburg ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Parkersburg.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Parkersburg, with the one closest to Parkersburg 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Parkersburg had a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Garland
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Ingold
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Ingold is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingold
  • Ammon
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Ammon is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
  • Roseboro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Tomahawk
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Tomahawk is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
  • Clear Run
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Clear Run is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Run
  • Taylors Bridge
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Taylors Bridge is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Bridge
  • Hayne
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hayne is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayne
  • Clinton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Waycross
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Waycross is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waycross
  • Kerr
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Kerr is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr
  • Autryville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Autryville is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Autryville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Huntley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Huntley is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntley
    • Elliott
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Elliott is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
    • Jerome
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Jerome is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerome

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

Newspapers Published in Parkersburg ...

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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Parkersburg.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Parkersburg, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Parkersburg.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Parkersburg:

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