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 Wake Forest (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 Wake Forest. 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 Wake Forest ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Wake Forest: Wake Frst.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Wake Forest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Wake Forest.
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 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.
Wake Forest is primarily located in Franklin County. A portion of Wake Forest extends into Wake 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 Franklin County: Granville, Halifax, Nash, Vance, Wake & Warren.
Below are the counties that are near Wake Forest. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wake Forest:
- Franklin County (The home county of Wake Forest)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Youngsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Franklinton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Katesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Katesville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
- Bunn
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Sutton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Sutton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
- Louisburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mapleville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- Ingleside
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Ingleside is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Lake View
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lake View is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Alert
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Alert is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alert
- White Level
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- White Level is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Level
- Centerville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Centerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2017: 102 people
- Chatham County
- Cary
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Durham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Gorman
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Gorman is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
- Brassfield
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Brassfield is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
- Nelson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Nelson is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Morrisville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Durham
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Parkwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Parkwood is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkwood
- Bahama
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Hampton
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Hampton is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- The American Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- The American Village is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The American Village
- Rougemont
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Granville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Wilton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Mount Energy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Energy is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
- Creedmoor
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hester
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hester is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Tar River
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Tar River is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Butner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lyons
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lyons is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyons
- Fairport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Fairport is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Clay
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Clay is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Stem
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Stem is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Providence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Providence is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Oxford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Johnston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Archer Lodge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Archer Lodge is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer Lodge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,322 people
- Archer Lodge has also been known as:
- Archer
- Clayton
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Stancils Chapel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Stancils Chapel is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stancils Chapel
- Wilson's Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Wilson's Mills is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson's Mills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,847 people
- Willow Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Willow Springs is located in Johnston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Springs
- Nash County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Murraytown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Murraytown is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murraytown
- Rocky Cross
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Cross is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Cross
- Union Hope
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Union Hope is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hope
- Gold Valley Crossroads
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Samaria
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Samaria is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
- Hunts
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Hunts is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts
- Rogers Crossroads
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Rogers Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers Crossroads
- Frazier Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Frazier Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazier Crossroads
- Mays Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Mays Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Crossroads
- Spring Hope
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Middlesex
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Middlesex is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middlesex
- Population from the 2020 Census: 834 people
- Edwards Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Edwards Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards Crossroads
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Eno
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Eno is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eno
- Pleasant Green Estates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Brigadoon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Brigadoon is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brigadoon
- Oak Hills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Oak Hills is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hills
- Summerfield Crossing
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Summerfield Crossing is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summerfield Crossing
- Fieldstream
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fieldstream is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldstream
- Carolwoods
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Carolwoods is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolwoods
- Cedar Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cedar Hill is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
- Davie Circle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Davie Circle is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davie Circle
- Greenwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Greenwood is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
- Stoneridge
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Stoneridge is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneridge
- Tenney Circle
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Tenney Circle is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tenney Circle
- Person County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Moriah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Moriah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
- Mount Tirzah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Tirzah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
- Vance County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Kittrell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bobbitt
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Gill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Gill is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill
- Bear Pond
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Bear Pond is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Pond
- Gillburg
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- South Henderson
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- South Henderson is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Henderson
- Henderson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Dabney
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Dabney is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Adcock Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Adcock Crossroads is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adcock Crossroads
- Flat Rock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Flat Rock is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Middleburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Wake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Forestville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Forestville is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- New Light
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Light is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Wyatt
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wyatt is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- Falls
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Falls is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
- Stony Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Stony Hill is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Hill
- Neuse Crossroads
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Neuse Crossroads is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neuse Crossroads
- Neuse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rolesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Brentwood Village
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Brentwood Village is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brentwood Village
- Millbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Millbrook is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Skycrest Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Skycrest Village is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skycrest Village
- Pickwick Village
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pickwick Village is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickwick Village
- Warren County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Lickskillet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lickskillet is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Afton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Afton is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
- Wilson County
- Sims
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wake Forest, see our County-by-County Page for Wake Forest.
Cemeteries Near Wake Forest ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wake Forest.
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 Wake Forest - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wake Forest covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Pine Forest Memorial Gardens
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Thompson Mill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Rolesville Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- New Light Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fair View Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Allen C. Perry Family Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Raleigh Memorial Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Coley Family Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Joseph Alexander Holloway Family Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Restlawn Memorial Gardens
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (151 more) ...
- Wyche Family Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Wake Forest had a population of 853 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Wake Forest had a population of 47,314 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wake Forest, with the one closest to Wake Forest listed first.
- Forestville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Forestville is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Wyatt
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Wyatt is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- New Light
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- New Light is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Falls
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Falls is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
- Youngsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Neuse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rolesville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Grissom
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grissom is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grissom
- Pocomoke
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pocomoke is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocomoke
- Franklinton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Wilton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wilton is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Six Forks
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Six Forks is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Forks
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Millbrook
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Millbrook is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Royal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Royal is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal
- Katesville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Katesville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wake Forest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wake Forest.
Newspapers Published in Wake Forest ...
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 8 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wake Forest.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wake Forest, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wake Forest.
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 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 Wake Forest:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Franklin County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chatham County
- Durham County
- Granville County
- Johnston County
- Nash County
- Orange County
- Person County
- Vance County
- Wake County
- Warren County
- Wilson 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Wake Forest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Wake Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |