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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 Stratford (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 Stratford. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Stratford is located in Alleghany 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 Alleghany County: Ashe, Surry, Wilkes & Grayson (VA).

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

  • Alleghany County     (The home county of Stratford)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Amelia
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Amelia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Piney Creek
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sparta
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
    • Scottville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Topia
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Topia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
    • Laurel Springs
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Glade Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Hooker
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Hooker is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Ennice
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Edmonds
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Roaring Gap
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Ashe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Weavers Ford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
    • Transou
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Transou is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
    • Crumpler
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Grassy Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Wagoner
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Wagoner is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
    • Orion
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Orion is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
    • Helton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Helton is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
    • Glendale Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jefferson
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sturgills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Sturgills is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
    • Brandon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Brandon is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
    • Lansing
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Devotion
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
    • Low Gap
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Thurmond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Mountain Park is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
    • Round Peak
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Round Peak is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Peak
    • State Road
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Zephyr
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Zephyr is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
    • Elkin Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
    • Mulberry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mulberry is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
    • Elkin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Dobson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Red Brush
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Red Brush is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Brush
  • Watauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Stony Fork
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
    • Deep Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Laxon
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Laxon is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
    • Moretz
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Moretz is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
    • Norris ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Norris is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
    • Rutherwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
    • Sands
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Sands is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Springfield ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Springfield is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
    • Abshers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Abshers is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
    • McGrady
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • McGrady is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGrady
    • Moxley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Moxley is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
    • Dehart
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Dehart is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
    • Traphill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Zebra ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Zebra is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
    • Hays
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Mulberry
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
    • Wilbar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
    • Lomax
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
    • Fairplains
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Jonesville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Arlington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Swan Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
  • Johnson County (TN)
    • Dowell ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
      • Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
  • Carroll County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Pipers Gap
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
    • Drenn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
    • Lambsburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Oak Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Oak Grove is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Woodlawn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sheep Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sheep Town is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheep Town
    • Cana
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Fancy Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Shorts Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorts Creek
  • Galax City (VA)
    • Galax
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Galax is located in Galax City (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galax
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,296 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galax <1>
  • Grayson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Bridle Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
    • Independence
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Mouth-of-Wilson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Baywood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Elk Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Flat Ridge
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
    • Rugby
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Rugby is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
    • Low Gap
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Trout Dale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Fries
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Fries is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fries
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fries <1>
    • Whitetop
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Smyth County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Sugar Grove
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
    • Atkins
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Adwolf
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Adwolf is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
    • Marion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Marion is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marion
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,555 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marion <1>
    • Mount Carmel
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
    • Seven Mile Ford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
  • Washington County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Green Cove
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Green Cove is located in Washington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
    • Loves Mill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Loves Mill is located in Washington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
    • Masada
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Masada is located in Washington County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
  • Wythe County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Stratford, with the one closest to Stratford listed first.
    • Speedwell
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Speedwell is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
    • Rowe Crossroads
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
    • Crockett
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Rural Retreat
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ivanhoe
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Austinville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Wytheville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Siloam
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Siloam is located in Wythe County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siloam

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

Cemeteries Near Stratford ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Stratford.

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

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

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

  • Antioch Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Elk Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Shiloh Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Prathers Creek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • New Haven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Piney Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Coxs Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Rocky Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Cranberry Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Cemetery
    • The Cranberry Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Cranberry Community Cemetery
    • Cranberry Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2207025 <2>
  • Continue List   (535 more) ...
    • Stamper Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Union Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Sparta Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)

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

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

  • Amelia
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Amelia is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
  • Whitehead
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Whitehead is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehead
  • Piney Creek
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Scottville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Furches
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Furches is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furches
  • Sparta
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <1>
  • Topia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Topia is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
  • Bridle Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
  • Laurel Springs
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Fox
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Fox is located in Grayson County (VA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fox
  • Edwards Crossroads
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Edwards Crossroads is located in Alleghany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards Crossroads
  • Independence
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Mouth-of-Wilson
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Weavers Ford
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
    • Transou
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Transou is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou

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

Newspapers Published in Stratford ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Stratford.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Stratford, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Stratford.

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 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 Stratford:

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