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 Surl (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 Surl. 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.
Surl is located in Person 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 Person County: Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange & Halifax (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Surl. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Surl:
- Person County (The home county of Surl)
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Allensville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Allensville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
- Mount Tirzah
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mount Tirzah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
- Timberlake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Roxboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cates
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cates is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cates
- Allens Level
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Allens Level is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Level
- Whitt Town
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Whitt Town is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
- Moriah
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Moriah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
- Hicks Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Hicks Village is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Village
- Roseville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Roseville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Hurdle Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ceffo
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ceffo is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceffo
- Concord
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Concord is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Alamance County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Just Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Just Crossroads is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Just Crossroads
- Stagecoach Trail
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Stagecoach Trail is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stagecoach Trail
- Mebane
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Buena Vista Estates
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Buena Vista Estates is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista Estates
- Woodlawn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Woodlawn is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodlawn
- Brook Hollow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Brook Hollow is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brook Hollow
- Florence Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Florence Town is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florence Town
- Green Level
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Level is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Level
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,341 people
- McCray
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- McCray is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCray
- Union Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Union Ridge is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Ridge
- Hawfields
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hawfields is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawfields
- Lakeview Estates
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lakeview Estates is located in Alamance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Estates
- Caswell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Leasburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Ridgeville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Ridgeville is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeville
- Semora
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Prospect Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Prospect Hill is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prospect Hill
- Milton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Estelle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Estelle is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Blanch
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Yanceyville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Anderson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Anderson is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
- Jericho
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Jericho is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jericho
- West Yanceyville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- West Yanceyville is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yanceyville
- Providence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Providence is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Stony Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Stony Creek is located in Caswell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Creek
- Durham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Rougemont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Hampton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Hampton is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Bahama
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Gorman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Gorman is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
- The American Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- The American Village is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
- Durham
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Brassfield
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Brassfield is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
- Parkwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Parkwood is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
- Franklin County
- Franklinton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Granville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Berea
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Berea is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Wilbourns
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Wilbourns is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbourns
- Stem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Stem is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Providence
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Providence is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Butner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lyons
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lyons is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Gela
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Gela is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gela
- Oxford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hester is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Tar River
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Tar River is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Clay
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Clay is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Stovall
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Stovall is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stovall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Creedmoor
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Berryland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Berryland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryland
- Fieldstream
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Fieldstream is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldstream
- Caldwell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caldwell is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- Charter Meadows
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Charter Meadows is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Meadows
- North Fork
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- North Fork is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
- Kindful Acres
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Kindful Acres is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kindful Acres
- Laws
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Laws is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laws
- Springcrest Meadows
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Springcrest Meadows is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springcrest Meadows
- Larry Hall
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Larry Hall is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larry Hall
- Schley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Schley is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Schley
- Pleasant Green Estates
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Deer Run
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Deer Run is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Run
- Green Pines
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Green Pines is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pines
- Vance County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Dabney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Dabney is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Kittrell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bear Pond
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bear Pond is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Pond
- Gill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gill is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill
- Henderson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- South Henderson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- South Henderson is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Henderson
- Bobbitt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Flat Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Flat Rock is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Gillburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Adcock Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Adcock Crossroads is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adcock Crossroads
- Wake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- New Light
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- New Light is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Stony Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Stony Hill is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Hill
- Fluvanna County (VA)
- Scottsburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Halifax County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Harmony
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Harmony is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Mayo
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Mayo is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
- Virgilina
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Alton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Cluster Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Cluster Springs is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cluster Springs
- Delila
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Delila is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delila
- Omega
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Omega is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Aarons Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Aarons Creek is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Creek
- South Boston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sutherlin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sutherlin is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
- Elmo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Elmo is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
- Jones
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Jones is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Westside Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Westside Village is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside Village
- Mecklenburg County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Nelson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Averett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Averett is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averett
- Shiny Rock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Shiny Rock is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiny Rock
- Henrico
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Henrico is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrico
- Clarksville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Village is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Jeffress
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jeffress is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffress
- Finchley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Finchley is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchley
- Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Laurel Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Grove is located in Pittsylvania County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Grove
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Surl, see our County-by-County Page for Surl.
Cemeteries Near Surl ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Surl.
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 Surl - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Surl covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Surl Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- David Reid Clayton Family Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mt. Harmony Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rock Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Allensville Methodist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Brookland Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mt. Tirzah United Methodist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Providence Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Burchwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Person Memorial Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Flat River Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lawson Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (170 more) ...
- Mt. Zion United Methodist Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mill Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Surl had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Surl, with the one closest to Surl listed first.
- Ai
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ai is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ai
- Allensville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Allensville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
- Timberlake
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Tirzah
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mount Tirzah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
- Roxboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Moriah
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Moriah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
- Rougemont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Red Mountain
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Red Mountain is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
- Berea
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Berea is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Roseville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Roseville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Hurdle Mills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bushy Fork
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bushy Fork is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushy Fork
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Woodsdale
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Woodsdale is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodsdale
- Olive Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Olive Hill is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Hill
- Oak Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Hill is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Surl. See our List of 1890's Communities around Surl.
Newspapers Published in Surl ...
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 52 newspapers that have been published in the area around Surl.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Surl, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Surl.
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 websites either 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 Surl:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Person County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alamance County
- Caswell County
- Durham County
- Franklin County
- Granville County
- Orange County
- Vance County
- Wake County
- Fluvanna County
- Halifax County
- Mecklenburg County
- Pittsylvania 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Surl) 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 Surl, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |