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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 Waycross (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 Waycross. 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.

Waycross is located in Sampson 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 Sampson County: Bladen, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Johnston, Pender & Wayne.

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

  • Sampson County     (The home county of Waycross)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Delway
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Delway is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delway
    • Elliott
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Elliott is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
    • Turkey
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Ingold
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Ingold is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingold
    • Moltonville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Moltonville is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moltonville
    • Beulah
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Beulah is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah
    • Clinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Tomahawk
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Tomahawk is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
    • Garland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Kerr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kerr is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr
    • Bonnetsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bonnetsville is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonnetsville
    • McDaniels
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • McDaniels is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDaniels
    • Concord
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Concord is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
  • Bladen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • White Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Ammon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Ammon is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ammon
    • Long View
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Long View is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
    • Kelly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Kelly is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
    • Elizabethtown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Yorick
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Yorick is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
    • Mount Olive
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Ruskin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Ruskin is located in Bladen County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
    • White Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Duplin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Concord
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Concord is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Brices Crossroads
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Brices Crossroads is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brices Crossroads
    • Magnolia
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Magnolia is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 951 people
    • Harrells
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Harrells is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrells
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
    • Duff Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Duff Creek is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duff Creek
    • Rose Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Baltic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Baltic is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baltic
    • Carroll
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Carroll is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carroll
    • Safe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Safe is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Safe
    • Warsaw
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Teachey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Teachey is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teachey
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
    • Register
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Register is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Register
    • Charity
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Charity is located in Duplin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
  • Lenoir County
    • Pink Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pender County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Willard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Willard is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Watha
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Watha is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watha
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Atkinson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Murray Town
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Murray Town is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray Town
    • Burgaw
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Currie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Saint Helena
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Saint Helena is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Helena
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 428 people
    • Ashton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Ashton is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashton
    • Maple Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Maple Hill is located in Pender County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Hill
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Waycross, with the one closest to Waycross listed first.
    • Mount Olive
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Dudley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Grantham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Grantham is located in Wayne County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grantham

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

Cemeteries Near Waycross ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Waycross.

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 Waycross - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Watson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Carter Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Merritt Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Hall Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Wells Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Merritt Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Merritt Memorial Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Snipes Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Benton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Spearman Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • New Hope Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (192 more) ...

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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Waycross had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Taylors Bridge
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Taylors Bridge is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Bridge
  • Magnolia
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Magnolia is located in Duplin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 951 people
  • Clear Run
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Clear Run is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Run
  • Ingold
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Ingold is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingold
  • Turkey
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Safe
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Safe is located in Duplin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Safe
  • Rose Hill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Elliott
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Elliott is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elliott
  • Teachey
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Teachey is located in Duplin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teachey
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 430 people
  • Warsaw
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Garland
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Tomahawk
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Tomahawk is located in Sampson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Clinton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Wallace
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Kerr
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Kerr is located in Sampson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerr

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

Newspapers Published in Waycross ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Waycross.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Waycross, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Waycross.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Waycross:

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>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 Waycross, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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 from Point A (ie- Waycross) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.