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 Sessex (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 Sessex. 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 northeast 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 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 east 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.
Sessex is located in Ashe 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 Ashe County: Alleghany, Watauga, Wilkes, Johnson (TN) & Grayson (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Sessex. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sessex:
- Ashe County (The home county of Sessex)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Weavers Ford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Helton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Helton is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Crumpler
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Sturgills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Brandon
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Lansing
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Warrensville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Comet
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Comet is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Apple Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Jefferson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Orion
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Topia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Piney Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Scottville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Amelia
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Laurel Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Sparta
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Glade Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hooker
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hooker is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Ennice
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Edmonds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Roaring Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Devotion
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Devotion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
- Low Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Thurmond
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Deep Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Laxon
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Moretz
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Zionville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Stony Fork
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Norris ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Sands
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Mabel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mabel is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
- Rutherwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Bamboo
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Boone
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- McGrady
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- McGrady is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGrady
- Springfield ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Abshers
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Abshers is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
- Wilbar
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Dehart
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Dehart is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
- Moxley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Moxley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
- Mulberry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Maple Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Traphill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zebra ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Zebra is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
- Millers Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hays
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Shingletown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Fuller
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Mountain City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Trade
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Winchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Winchester is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
- Galax City (VA)
- Galax
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Grayson County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Rugby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Trout Dale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Bridle Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Flat Ridge
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Whitetop
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Independence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Elk Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Baywood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Fries
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Low Gap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Smyth County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Adwolf
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Marion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Carmel
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Seven Mile Ford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Atkins
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Chilhowie
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Ellendale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Broadford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allison Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Washington County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Green Cove
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Masada
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Masada is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Loves Mill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Friendship
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Friendship is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Damascus
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Lodi
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lodi is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Fleet
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Drowning Ford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Glade Spring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Alvarado
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Alvarado is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Clinchburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Watauga
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Watauga is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga
- Wythe County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Speedwell
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Rural Retreat
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Rowe Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
- Crockett
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sessex, see our County-by-County Page for Sessex.
Cemeteries Near Sessex ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sessex.
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 Sessex - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sessex covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Pleasant Branch Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- New River Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Corinth Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Howell Hill Community Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Robert Parsons Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Thomas Marion Cox Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Thomas Marion Cox Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Pugh Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Little Wilson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Continue List (573 more) ...
- Young Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sturgill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Pugh Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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>
While we didn't find Sessex in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sessex.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sessex, with the one closest to Sessex listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Helton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Helton is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Weavers Ford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Rugby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Crumpler
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sturgills
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Lansing
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Topia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Grant
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Grant is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grant
- Nathans Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Nathans Creek is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathans Creek
- Piney Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Fox
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fox is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
- Scottville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Apple Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sessex. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sessex.
Newspapers Published in Sessex ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sessex.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sessex, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sessex.
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 Sessex:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Ashe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alleghany County
- Surry County
- Watauga County
- Wilkes County
- Johnson County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Smyth County
- Washington County
- Wythe 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> | 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 Sessex, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sessex) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |