RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Davidson County >> Random Woods >> 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 Random Woods (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 Random Woods. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.

Random Woods is located in Davidson 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 Davidson County: Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Randolph, Rowan & Stanly.

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

  • Davidson County     (The home county of Random Woods)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Currytown
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Currytown is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Currytown
    • Welcome
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jefferson Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jefferson Village is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Village
    • Lexington
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Reedy Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Reedy Creek is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy Creek
    • Sapona
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Sapona is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapona
    • Arcadia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Arcadia is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
    • Holly Grove
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Holly Grove is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
    • Tyro
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Tyro is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
    • Midway
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Midway is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
    • Linwood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Cotton Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Cotton Grove is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cotton Grove
    • Bethany ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethany is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
  • Cabarrus County
    • Rimer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Rimer is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Advance
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bermuda Run
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Clinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Clinton is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
    • Ephesus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Ephesus is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ephesus
    • Cooleemee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Mocksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Pino
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Pino is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino
    • Calahaln
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Calahaln is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calahaln
  • Forsyth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Muddy Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Muddy Creek is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muddy Creek
    • Rosemont
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Rosemont is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemont
    • Clemmons
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Ardmore
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Ardmore is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardmore
    • Waughtown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Waughtown is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waughtown
    • Buena Vista
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Buena Vista is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Cityview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Cityview is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cityview
    • East Winston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • East Winston is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Winston
    • Westview
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Westview is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westview
    • Winston - Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Horneytown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Horneytown is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horneytown
    • Fox Hall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Fox Hall is located in Forsyth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox Hall
    • Lewisville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Guilford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Sherwood Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Sherwood Village is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherwood Village
    • High Point
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Allen Jay
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Allen Jay is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen Jay
    • Jamestown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sandy Ridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sandy Ridge is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Ridge
    • Freeman Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Freeman Mill is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeman Mill
    • Colfax
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Kirkman Crossroad
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Kirkman Crossroad is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkman Crossroad
    • Guilford College
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Guilford College is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guilford College
    • Latham Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Latham Town is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Latham Town
    • Oak Ridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Pomona
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pomona is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pomona
    • Southmont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Southmont is located in Guilford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southmont
  • Iredell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Cool Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Cool Springs is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Springs
    • Harmony
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Houstonville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Houstonville is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonville
    • Turnersburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Turnersburg is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersburg
  • Montgomery County
    • Blaine
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Blaine is located in Montgomery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blaine
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Trinity
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Archdale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • New Market
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • New Market is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
    • Sophia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mechanic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Mechanic is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mechanic
    • Randleman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Worthville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Worthville is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthville
    • Asheboro
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Central Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Central Falls is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Falls
    • Millboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Millboro is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millboro
    • Eleazer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Eleazer is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eleazer
  • Rowan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Yadkin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Yadkin is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkin
    • Trading Ford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Trading Ford is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trading Ford
    • Ellis Crossroads
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellis Crossroads is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellis Crossroads
    • Shannon Park
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Shannon Park is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shannon Park
    • East Spencer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • East Spencer is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Spencer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,556 people
    • Spencer
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Franklin
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Franklin is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
    • Mocksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Mocksville is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mocksville
    • Craven
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Craven is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Craven
    • Belmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Belmont is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
    • Forest Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Forest Hills is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
    • Meadowbrook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Meadowbrook is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowbrook
    • Woodbine
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodbine is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine
  • Stanly County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Misenheimer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Misenheimer is located in Stanly County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Misenheimer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 742 people
    • Richfield
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • New London
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Stokes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Germanton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Fulp
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Fulp is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulp
    • Neatman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Neatman is located in Stokes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neatman
    • Walnut Cove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Boyden ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Boyden is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyden
    • Shoals
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Shoals is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoals
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Random Woods, with the one closest to Random Woods listed first.
    • Wyo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Wyo is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyo
    • Huntsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Huntsville is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
    • Courtney
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Courtney is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Courtney
    • Footville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Footville is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footville
    • East Bend
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Forbush
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Forbush is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbush
    • Yadkinville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Union Grove
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Union Grove is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
    • Branon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
    • Hamptonville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Random Woods ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Random Woods.

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 Random Woods - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Beulah Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Forest Lawn Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Lexington City Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Pilgrim Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Pilgrim Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Sandy Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Good Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Wesleys Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Owens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • New Jersey Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Becks Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (157 more) ...
    • Rich Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Advance United Methdodist Church (UMC) Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Fork Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)

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 Random Woods in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Random Woods.

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

  • Arnold
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Arnold is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
  • Lexington
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Welcome
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sapona
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sapona is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapona
  • Reedy Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Reedy Creek is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reedy Creek
  • Arcadia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Arcadia is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia
  • Jimes ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jimes is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimes
  • Enterprise
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Enterprise is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
  • Linwood
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Midway
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Midway is located in Davidson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
  • Fulton ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Fulton is located in Davie County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
  • Advance
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bethany ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethany is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethany
    • Jubilee
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jubilee is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jubilee
    • Light
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Light is located in Davidson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light

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

Newspapers Published in Random Woods ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Random Woods.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Random Woods, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Random Woods.

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 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 Random Woods:

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 Random Woods, 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- Random Woods) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.