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 Rock 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 Rock 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 Rock 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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rock Ridge: Rock Rdg. (or less commonly used: Rock Rdge. or Rock Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rock Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rock 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Rock Ridge is located in Wilson 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 Wilson County: Edgecombe, Greene, Johnston, Nash, Pitt & Wayne.
Below are the counties that are near Rock Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rock Ridge:
- Wilson County (The home county of Rock Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Scotts
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Scotts is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Sims
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lucama
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Wilson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Spring Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Lake is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Black Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Black Creek is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
- Eastwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Eastwood is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastwood
- Elm City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stantonsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Saratoga
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Saratoga is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saratoga
- Population from the 2020 Census: 408 people
- Edgecombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Sharpsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Macclesfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mercer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mercer is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mercer
- Rocky Mount
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Lancaster
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Lancaster is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster
- Pinetops
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cobb Town
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Cobb Town is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobb Town
- Sharp Point
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Sharp Point is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp Point
- Hartsboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hartsboro is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsboro
- Hartsease
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hartsease is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsease
- Henrietta
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Henrietta is located in Edgecombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Battleboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Sutton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sutton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
- Bunn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mapleville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- White Level
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- White Level is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Level
- Louisburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Walstonburg
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Walstonburg is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walstonburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 207 people
- Speights Bridge
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Speights Bridge is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speights Bridge
- Fieldsboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Fieldsboro is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldsboro
- Contentnea
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Contentnea is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Contentnea
- Jason
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jason is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jason
- Snow Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Maury
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Maury is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maury
- Johnston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Kenly
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Stancils Chapel
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Stancils Chapel is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stancils Chapel
- Beulahtown
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Beulahtown is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulahtown
- Micro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Micro is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 553 people
- Rains Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Rains Crossroads is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rains Crossroads
- Redwood Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Redwood Village is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Village
- Pine Level
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Selma
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Princeton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Archer Lodge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Archer Lodge is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer Lodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,322 people
- Archer Lodge has also been known as:
- Archer
- Fairfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Fairfield is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Wilson's Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson's Mills is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson's Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,847 people
- Nash County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Bailey
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- High Crossroads
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- High Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Crossroads
- Mount Pleasant
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Middlesex
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Middlesex is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex
- Population from the 2020 Census: 834 people
- Cliftonville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cliftonville is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliftonville
- Rogers Crossroads
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Rogers Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Crossroads
- Floods Chapel
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Floods Chapel is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floods Chapel
- Stanhope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Stanhope is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
- Strickland Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Frazier Crossroads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Frazier Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier Crossroads
- Samaria
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Samaria is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
- Union Hope
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union Hope is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hope
- Pitt County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Fountain
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Farmville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Farmville is located in Pitt County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,747 people
- Wake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Zebulon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wendell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Eagle Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Eagle Rock is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Rock
- Shotwell
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Shotwell is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shotwell
- Knightdale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rolesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Emerald Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Emerald Village is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerald Village
- Auburn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Auburn is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
- Skycrest Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Skycrest Village is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skycrest Village
- Forestville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Forestville is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Neuse Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Neuse Crossroads is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neuse Crossroads
- Garner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Wayne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Fremont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Nahunta
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Nahunta is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nahunta
- Pikeville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Eureka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Eureka is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
- Saulston
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Saulston is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saulston
- Raynor Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Raynor Town is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynor Town
- Goldsboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Berkeley Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Berkeley Village is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkeley Village
- Mar-Mac Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Mar-Mac Village is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar-Mac Village
- Genoa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Genoa is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genoa
- Mar-Mac
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Mar-Mac is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mar-Mac
- Elroy
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Elroy is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elroy
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rock Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Rock Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Rock Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rock 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 Rock Ridge - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rock Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Jordan Godwin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Eli P. Haynes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Bailey Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hicks Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hicks Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<2> to the south of Stancils Chapel.
- The Hicks Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hicks Family Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2524837 <3>
- Woodard - Atkinson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodard - Atkinson Cemetery
- The Woodard - Atkinson Cemetery has also been known as:
- J.B. Woodard Cemetery
- Evergreen Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Middlesex Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- St. James Church of Christ Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Shoeheel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rest Haven Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Maplewood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Middlesex Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (214 more) ...
- Batten Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Fairview Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Brown Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
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 Rock Ridge in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rock Ridge.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rock Ridge, with the one closest to Rock Ridge listed first.
- Lucama
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Connor
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Connor is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Connor
- Kenly
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Black Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Black Creek is located in Wilson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Population from the 2020 Census: 767 people
- Wilson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bagley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Bagley is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagley
- Stanhope
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Stanhope is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanhope
- Micro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Micro is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Micro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 553 people
- Pinkney
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Pinkney is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinkney
- Fremont
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Union Hope
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Union Hope is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hope
- Elm City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Earpsboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Earpsboro is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earpsboro
- Pikeville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Eureka
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Eureka is located in Wayne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
- Population from the 2020 Census: 200 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rock Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rock Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Rock 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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rock Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rock Ridge, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rock Ridge.
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 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 Rock Ridge:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wilson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Edgecombe County
- Franklin County
- Greene County
- Johnston County
- Nash County
- Pitt County
- Wake County
- Wayne 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rock Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Rock Ridge, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |