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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 Sunset Beach (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 Sunset Beach. 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 Sunset Beach ...

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 have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Sunset Beach: Sunset Bch.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Sunset Beach is located in Brunswick County.

To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Brunswick County: Columbus, New Hanover, Pender & Horry (SC).

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

  • Brunswick County     (The home county of Sunset Beach)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Beach, with the one closest to Sunset Beach listed first.
    • Calabash
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Carolina Shores
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carolina Shores have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
      • Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
    • Ocean Isle Beach
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocean Isle Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocean Isle Beach
      • Ocean Isle Beach is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 709 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ocean Isle Beach <1>
    • Longwood
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
      • Longwood is located in Brunswick County
    • Shallotte
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Holden Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holden Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holden Beach
      • Holden Beach is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 675 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holden Beach <1>
    • Ash
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
      • Ash is located in Brunswick County
    • Sivey Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sivey Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sivey Town
      • Sivey Town is located in Brunswick County
    • Exum
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Exum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
      • Exum is located in Brunswick County
    • Varnamtown
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Varnamtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Varnamtown
      • Varnamtown is located in Brunswick County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
    • Supply
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Supply have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Supply
      • Supply is located in Brunswick County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Supply <1>
    • Makatoka
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Makatoka
      • Makatoka is located in Brunswick County
  • Columbus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Beach, with the one closest to Sunset Beach listed first.
    • Pireway
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pireway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
      • Pireway is located in Columbus County
    • Bug Hill
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bug Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
      • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County
    • Pine Level
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Level have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Level
      • Pine Level is located in Columbus County
    • Nakina
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nakina
      • Nakina is located in Columbus County
    • Bethel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Columbus County
    • Cribb Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cribb Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
      • Cribb Town is located in Columbus County
    • Tabor City
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Emerson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
      • Emerson is located in Columbus County
    • Brunswick
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Lake Waccamaw
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Waccamaw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Waccamaw
      • Lake Waccamaw is located in Columbus County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,392 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Waccamaw <1>
    • Redbug
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbug
      • Redbug is located in Columbus County
    • Clarendon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
      • Clarendon is located in Columbus County
  • Horry County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sunset Beach, with the one closest to Sunset Beach listed first.
    • Little River
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Creek Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Creek Village
      • Cedar Creek Village is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Cherry Grove Beach
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • North Myrtle Beach
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Atlantic Beach
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Atlantic Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atlantic Beach
      • Atlantic Beach is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 483 people
    • Little Town
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
      • Little Town is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Longs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Briarcliffe Acres
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briarcliffe Acres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarcliffe Acres
      • Briarcliffe Acres is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 612 people
    • Arcadian Shores
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Daisy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
      • Daisy is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Loris
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loris
      • Loris is located in Horry County (SC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,807 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loris <1>
    • Vina
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vina have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vina
      • Vina is located in Horry County (SC)

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

Newspapers Published in Sunset Beach ...

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 2 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sunset Beach.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sunset Beach, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sunset Beach.

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 Sunset Beach:

Cemeteries Near Sunset Beach ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sunset Beach.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
  • Wilson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wilson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
  • Bennett-Beck Family Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Parker Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Cemetery
  • Mintz Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mintz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mintz Cemetery
  • Manley Bennett Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Manley Bennett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Manley Bennett Cemetery
  • Brunswick Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brunswick Memorial Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brunswick Memorial Gardens
  • Lewis Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lewis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lewis Cemetery
  • St. Paul AME Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Register Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Register Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Register Cemetery
  • Bennett Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bennett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bennett Cemetery
  • Blanton Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blanton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blanton Cemetery
  • Continue List   (127 more) ...
    • Live Oak Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Live Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Live Oak Cemetery
    • Mt. Calvery Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvery Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvery Cemetery
    • Cedar Creek Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Creek Cemetery

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.<5>

While we didn't find Sunset Beach in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sunset Beach.

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

  • Calabash
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Iredell
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iredell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iredell
    • Iredell is located in Brunswick County
  • Little River
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Shallotte
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Pireway
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pireway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pireway
    • Pireway is located in Columbus County
  • Ash
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
    • Ash is located in Brunswick County
  • Wampee
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wampee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wampee
    • Wampee is located in Horry County (SC)
  • Bug Hill
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bug Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bug Hill
    • Bug Hill is located in Columbus County
  • Exum
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Exum have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
    • Exum is located in Brunswick County
  • Supply
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Supply have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Supply
    • Supply is located in Brunswick County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Supply <1>
  • Vaught
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vaught have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaught
    • Vaught is located in Horry County (SC)
  • Makatoka
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Makatoka
    • Makatoka is located in Brunswick County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Dothan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dothan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dothan
      • Dothan is located in Columbus County
    • Hand
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hand have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hand
      • Hand is located in Horry County (SC)
    • Hammond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hammond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hammond
      • Hammond is located in Horry County (SC)

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Sunset Beach. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Brunswick County: www.brunsco.net/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

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 location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Sunset Beach) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sunset Beach. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 33.8862, Longitude: -78.5095       In this case, the coordinates for Sunset Beach have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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 Sunset Beach, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024