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 Watkins (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 Watkins. 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 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.
Watkins is located in Vance 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 Vance County: Franklin, Granville, Warren & Mecklenburg (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Watkins. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watkins:
- Vance County (The home county of Watkins)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Dabney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dabney is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Bear Pond
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Bear Pond is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Pond
- Gill
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Gill is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill
- South Henderson
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- South Henderson is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Henderson
- Kittrell
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Gillburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Bobbitt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Adcock Crossroads
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Adcock Crossroads is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adcock Crossroads
- Flat Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Rock is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Middleburg
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Drewry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Drewry is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewry
- Durham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Hampton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Hampton is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampton
- Bahama
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Rougemont
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Gorman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gorman is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gorman
- Durham
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Brassfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brassfield is located in Durham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brassfield
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Lake View
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Lake View is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Franklinton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Ingleside
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ingleside is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingleside
- Katesville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Katesville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katesville
- Alert
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Alert is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alert
- Louisburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Youngsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Wake Forest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Mapleville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mapleville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mapleville
- White Level
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- White Level is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Level
- Centerville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Centerville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Estimated population in 2017: 102 people
- Bunn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sutton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sutton is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutton
- Granville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Fairport
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Fairport is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Oxford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Clay
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clay is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Tar River
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tar River is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Providence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Providence is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Gela
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Gela is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gela
- Wilton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wilton is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Stovall
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Stovall is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stovall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Hester
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hester is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hester
- Mount Energy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Energy is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Energy
- Stem
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Stem is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Berea
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Berea is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Bullock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Nash County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Lancaster Crossroads
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Castalia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Castalia is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castalia
- Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
- Mays Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mays Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mays Crossroads
- Edwards Crossroads
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Edwards Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards Crossroads
- Hunts
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hunts is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunts
- Matthews Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Matthews Crossroads is located in Nash County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matthews Crossroads
- Orange County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Fieldstream
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Fieldstream is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fieldstream
- Charter Meadows
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Charter Meadows is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charter Meadows
- Berryland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Berryland is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berryland
- Caldwell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Caldwell is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caldwell
- North Fork
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- North Fork is located in Orange County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
- Pleasant Green Estates
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Person County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Moriah
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Moriah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
- Allensville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Allensville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
- Mount Tirzah
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Mount Tirzah is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
- Timberlake
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Cates is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cates
- Roxboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Allens Level
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Allens Level is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Level
- Whitt Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Whitt Town is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
- Hicks Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Hicks Village is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Village
- Hurdle Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Roseville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Roseville is located in Person County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Wake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- New Light
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- New Light is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Light
- Stony Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Stony Hill is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Hill
- Forestville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Forestville is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
- Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Falls is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls
- Wyatt
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Wyatt is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt
- Rolesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Neuse Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Neuse Crossroads is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neuse Crossroads
- Neuse
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Millbrook
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Millbrook is located in Wake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millbrook
- Pickwick Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- 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 Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Manson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Soul City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Soul City is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soul City
- Afton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Afton is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
- Lickskillet
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Lickskillet is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Rose Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Rose Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Snow Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Snow Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Norlina
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Warrenton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Warren Plains
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Warren Plains is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Plains
- Wise
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Wise is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wise
- Macon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Arcola
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Arcola is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcola
- Church Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Church Hill is located in Warren County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
- Halifax County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Virgilina
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Aarons Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Aarons Creek is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Creek
- Mayo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mayo is located in Halifax County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
- Mecklenburg County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Shiny Rock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Shiny Rock is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiny Rock
- Averett
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Averett is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averett
- Henrico
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Henrico is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrico
- Nelson
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Clarksville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cusco Willa
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cusco Willa is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusco Willa
- Mill Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mill Village is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Palmer Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Palmer Springs is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer Springs
- Finchley
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Finchley is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchley
- Jeffress
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Jeffress is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffress
- Boydton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Skipwith
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Skipwith is located in Mecklenburg County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipwith
- Bracey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Watkins, see our County-by-County Page for Watkins.
Cemeteries Near Watkins ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watkins.
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 Watkins - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Watkins covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Sunset Garden Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Plummer Cheatham Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jess Kittrell Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Confederate Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Granville Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Crews Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elmwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Blacknall Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Alpha Omega Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Meadowview Memorial Park
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowview Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Meadowview Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located 2 miles [3.2 km]<3> to the north of Oxford.
- The Meadowview Memorial Park has also been known as:
- Meadowview Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #48079 <2>
- Burnette Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Continue List (130 more) ...
- Wyche Family Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- New Sandy Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Community Memorial Gardens
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
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, Watkins had a post office and railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Watkins, with the one closest to Watkins listed first.
- Dabney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Dabney is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Clay
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Clay is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Huntsboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Huntsboro is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsboro
- Kittrell
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Henderson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bobbitt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Gillburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Dexter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Dexter is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dexter
- Providence
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Providence is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Tar River
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Tar River is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Lewis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Lewis is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Wilton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Wilton is located in Granville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilton
- Letha ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Letha is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Letha
- Epsom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Epsom is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Epsom
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Watkins. See our List of 1890's Communities around Watkins.
Newspapers Published in Watkins ...
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 79 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watkins.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watkins, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watkins.
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 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 Watkins:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Vance County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Durham County
- Franklin County
- Granville County
- Nash County
- Orange County
- Person County
- Wake County
- Warren County
- Halifax County
- Mecklenburg 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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Watkins) 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 Watkins, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |