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 Wards (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 Wards. 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.
Wards is located in Columbus County.
To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Columbus County: Bladen, Brunswick, Pender, Robeson & Horry (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Wards. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Wards:
- Columbus County (The home county of Wards)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Chadbourn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Clarendon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Clarendon is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
- Grist
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Grist is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grist
- Cribb Town
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cribb Town is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cribb Town
- Cedar Grove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Cerro Gordo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Emerson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Emerson is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Brunswick
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Williamson Crossroads
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Tabor City
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Whiteville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ironhill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Ironhill is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
- Bladen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Abbottsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
- Clarkton
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Bladenboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Butters
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Butters is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
- Rosindale
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rosindale is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
- Council
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Council is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
- Mount Olive
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Dublin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dublin is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dublin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Elizabethtown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- East Arcadia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- East Arcadia is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Arcadia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 470 people
- Yorick
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Yorick is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
- Brunswick County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Ash
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Ash is located in Brunswick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash
- Exum
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Exum is located in Brunswick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exum
- Longwood
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Longwood is located in Brunswick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longwood
- Makatoka
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Makatoka is located in Brunswick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Makatoka
- Carolina Shores
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Carolina Shores is located in Brunswick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Shores
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,802 people
- Calabash
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Robeson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Barnesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barnesville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Orrum
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Orrum is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Marietta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Marietta is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Proctorville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Proctorville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
- Fairmont
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Allenton
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Allenton is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
- Lumberton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- McDonald
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- McDonald is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Barker Ten Mile
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Barker Ten Mile is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Ten Mile
- Raynham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Raynham is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Lowe
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lowe is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowe
- Dillon County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Lake View
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Fork
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Floydale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Horry County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Green Sea
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Loris
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Finklea
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
- Daisy
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Daisy is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
- Gurley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gurley is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gurley
- Little Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Little Town is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Town
- Longs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Cebu ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cebu is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cebu
- Allen
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Allen is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Cool Spring
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cool Spring is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Spring
- Aynor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Galivants Ferry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Marion County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Nichols
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Mullins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rains
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Wards, see our County-by-County Page for Wards.
Cemeteries Near Wards ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Wards.
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 Wards - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Wards covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Cribb Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- McPherson Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Belle View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Todd Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hinson Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chadbourn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Gowans Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Cribb Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Field Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Norris Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hinson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Meares Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (424 more) ...
- Prince Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Regar Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 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.<2>
While we didn't find Wards in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Wards.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Wards, with the one closest to Wards listed first.
- Clarendon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Clarendon is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarendon
- Chadbourn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Emerson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Emerson is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Cerro Gordo
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Ironhill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Ironhill is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironhill
- Mollie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mollie is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mollie
- Whiteville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Evergreen
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Evergreen is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Fair Bluff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
- Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
- Finklea
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
- Loris
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Hallsboro
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Hallsboro is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Old Dock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Old Dock is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Dock
- Barnesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barnesville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Dothan
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Dothan is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dothan
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Wards. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wards.
Newspapers Published in Wards ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Wards.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Wards, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Wards.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Wards:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Columbus County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bladen County
- Brunswick County
- Robeson County
- Dillon County
- Horry County
- Marion 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> | 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 Wards, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Wards) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |