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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 Smith Crossing (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 Smith Crossing. 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 Smith Crossing ...

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 Smith Crossing: Smith Xing.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Smith Crossing. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Smith Crossing.

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 northeast 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 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.

Smith Crossing is located in Columbus 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 Columbus County: Bladen, Brunswick, Pender, Robeson & Horry (SC).

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

  • Columbus County     (The home county of Smith Crossing)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Crossing, with the one closest to Smith Crossing listed first.
    • Hallsboro
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Hallsboro is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
    • Redbug
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Redbug is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbug
    • Brunswick
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Whiteville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Lake Waccamaw
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Rico
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Rico is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
    • Chadbourn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Mount Olive
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Olive is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Cribb Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
    • Grist
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Grist is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grist
    • Bolton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Nakina
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Nakina is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nakina
    • Clarendon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
  • Bladen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Crossing, with the one closest to Smith Crossing listed first.
    • Rosindale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosindale is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
    • Clarkton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Council
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Council is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
    • Abbottsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
    • Bladenboro
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • East Arcadia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • East Arcadia is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Arcadia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
    • Mount Olive
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Elizabethtown
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Butters
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Butters is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
    • Kelly
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Kelly is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
    • Dublin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Dublin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
    • White Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Yorick
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Yorick is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
  • Brunswick County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Crossing, with the one closest to Smith Crossing listed first.
    • Exum
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Exum is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
    • Ash
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Ash is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
    • Makatoka
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Makatoka is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Makatoka
    • Longwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
    • Northwest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Northwest is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northwest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 806 people
    • Sandy Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Sandy Creek is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Creek
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
    • Shallotte
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Carolina Shores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Calabash
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Supply
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Pender County
    • Atkinson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Robeson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Crossing, with the one closest to Smith Crossing listed first.
    • Orrum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Orrum is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
    • Barnesville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Barnesville is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
    • Allenton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Allenton is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
    • Proctorville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Proctorville is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
    • Marietta
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Marietta is located in Robeson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
    • Fairmont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lumberton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sampson County
    • Ivanhoe
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ivanhoe is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
  • Dillon County (SC)
    • Lake View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
  • Horry County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Smith Crossing, with the one closest to Smith Crossing listed first.
    • Loris
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Loris is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loris
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loris <1>
    • Green Sea
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Finklea
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
    • Little Town
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Little Town is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
    • Daisy
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Daisy is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Longs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Gurley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gurley is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
    • Little River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Marion County (SC)
    • Nichols
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Smith Crossing ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smith Crossing.

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 Smith Crossing - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Smith Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Flynn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Faison Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Pierce Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Hebron Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Columbus Country Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Cherry Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Ward Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Sibbitt Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Whiteville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Pierce Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Batten Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (389 more) ...
    • St. James Memorial Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. James Memorial Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the St. James Memorial Cemetery is located 6 miles [9.7 km]<2> to the northeast of Hallsboro.
      • The St. James Memorial Cemetery has also been known as:
      • St. James Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2462746 <3>
    • Mitchellfield Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Marley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)

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

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

  • Hallsboro
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Hallsboro is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
  • Whiteville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Lake Waccamaw
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Rosindale
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosindale is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
  • Emerson
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Emerson is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
  • Elkton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Elkton is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
  • Chadbourn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Old Dock
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Old Dock is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dock
  • Clarkton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Mollie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mollie is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
  • Council
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Council is located in Bladen County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
  • Clarendon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Clarendon is located in Columbus County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Bolton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Ironhill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Ironhill is located in Columbus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
    • Abbottsburg
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg

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

Newspapers Published in Smith Crossing ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smith Crossing.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smith Crossing, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smith Crossing.

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 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 Smith Crossing:

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- Smith Crossing) 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 Smith Crossing, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.