RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Bladen County >> Richardson >> 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 Richardson (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 Richardson. 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.

Richardson is located in Bladen 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 Bladen County: Columbus, Cumberland, Pender, Robeson & Sampson.

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

  • Bladen County     (The home county of Richardson)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Butters
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Butters is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
    • Bladenboro
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Abbottsburg
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
    • Dublin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Dublin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • Clarkton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Tar Heel
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Elizabethtown
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ruskin
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Ruskin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
    • Yorick
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Yorick is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
    • Mount Olive
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • White Oak
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosindale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Rosindale is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
  • Columbus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Mount Olive
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Mount Olive is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Evergreen
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Evergreen is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
    • Boardman
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Boardman is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
    • Williamson Crossroads
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Williamson Crossroads is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamson Crossroads
    • Rico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Rico is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
    • Cerro Gordo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Chadbourn
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Grist
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Grist is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grist
    • Whiteville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Cedar Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
    • Brunswick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fair Bluff
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
  • Cumberland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Ardulusa
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Ardulusa is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardulusa
    • Hope Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Timberlake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Timberlake is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
    • Judson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Judson is located in Cumberland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
  • Robeson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Allenton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Allenton is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
    • Lumberton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Orrum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Orrum is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Barker Ten Mile
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Barker Ten Mile is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Ten Mile
    • Proctorville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Proctorville is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Rozier Siding ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Rozier Siding is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rozier Siding
    • Saddletree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Saddletree is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddletree
    • Barnesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Barnesville is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
    • Fairmont
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Lowe
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Lowe is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowe
    • Saint Pauls
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • McDonald
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • McDonald is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
  • Sampson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Garland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Tomahawk
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Tomahawk is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
  • Dillon County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Richardson, with the one closest to Richardson listed first.
    • Lake View
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Hamer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Oakland Crossroads
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Oakland Crossroads is located in Dillon County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Crossroads
  • Horry County (SC)
  • Marion County (SC)
    • Nichols
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Richardson ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Richardson.

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

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

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

  • Nance Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Faulk Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Singletary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Bladenboro Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pine Crest Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Hester Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Ed Lewis Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Byrd Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Kelly Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Singletary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Hines Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (380 more) ...
    • Bryant Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Edwards Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Lewis Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Richardson had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Bladenboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Allenton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Allenton is located in Robeson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
  • Abbottsburg
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
  • Evergreen
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Evergreen is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
  • Howellsville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Howellsville is located in Robeson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howellsville
  • Lumberton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Orrum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Orrum is located in Robeson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
  • Clarkton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Tar Heel
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Elizabethtown
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
  • Elkton
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Elkton is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Tolarsville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Tolarsville is located in Robeson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolarsville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Barnesville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Barnesville is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
    • Saddletree
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Saddletree is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddletree
    • Cerro Gordo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people

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

Newspapers Published in Richardson ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Richardson.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Richardson, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Richardson.

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 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 Richardson:

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 Richardson, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Richardson) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.