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 Westfield (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 Westfield. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors 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.
Westfield is located in Surry 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 Surry County: Alleghany, Forsyth, Stokes, Wilkes, Yadkin, Carroll (VA), Grayson (VA) & Patrick (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Westfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Westfield:
- Surry County (The home county of Westfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Albion
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Albion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Mount Herman
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mount Herman is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
- Holly Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Holly Springs is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Pilot Mountain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sheltontown
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Sheltontown is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
- Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- Flat Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Flat Rock is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Ararat
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Airy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Toast
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Toast is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toast
- White Plains
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- White Plains is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Black Water
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Black Water is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Water
- Pine Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Hill is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Edmonds
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Ennice
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Roaring Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Forsyth County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- King
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Heritage Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
- The Meadows
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- The Meadows is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
- Tobaccoville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Donnaha
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Donnaha is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
- Bannertown
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Bannertown is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannertown
- Rural Hall
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Dozier
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Dozier is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dozier
- Oak Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Oak Park is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Chestnut Trails
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Chestnut Trails is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Trails
- Creek View
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Creek View is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek View
- Hunter Meadows
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hunter Meadows is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Meadows
- Seward
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Seward is located in Forsyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seward
- Guilford County
- Stokesdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rockingham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Mayodan
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ellisboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
- Madison
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Gold Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Gold Hill is located in Rockingham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Hill
- Stoneville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Stokes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Flat Rock
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Rock is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Vade Mecum
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
- Aarons Corner
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
- Pinnacle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Capella
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Capella is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capella
- Lawsonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Lawsonville is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Mount Olive
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Campbell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Quaker Gap
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
- Danbury
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Snow Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Snow Hill is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Neatman
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Neatman is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Neatman
- Meadows
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Meadows is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadows
- Wilkes County
- Pleasant Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Yadkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- East Bend
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Richmond Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Richmond Hill is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond Hill
- Forbush
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Forbush is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbush
- Mount Pleasant
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Union Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Union Grove is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Grove
- Nebo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Nebo is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
- Boonville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Yadkinville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Huntsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Huntsville is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntsville
- Arlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Arlington is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Jonesville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Rena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rena is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
- Branon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Branon is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
- Carroll County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Cana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Pike City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Pike City is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
- Gladesboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Gladesboro is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
- Nester
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Nester is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
- Fancy Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Lambsburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Drenn
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
- Pipers Gap
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
- Dugspur
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hillsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Woodlawn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Star
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Star is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Floyd County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Haycock
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Duncan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Duncan is located in Floyd County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Floyd
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Indian Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Galax City (VA)
- Galax
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grayson County (VA)
- Low Gap
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Henry County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Preston
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Preston is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Horse Pasture
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Patrick County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Carters Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Ararat
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Peters Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Stuart
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Meadows of Dan
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Nettleridge
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Patrick Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Critz
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stella
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Stella is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Woolwine
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Elamsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Charity
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Charity is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Dodson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dodson is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dodson
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Westfield, see our County-by-County Page for Westfield.
Cemeteries Near Westfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westfield.
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 Westfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Westfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Westfield Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Inman Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Hunter Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mills Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Waugh Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Durham Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Beasley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Woodville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cobler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Simmons Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Simmons Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simmons Family Cemetery
- The Simmons Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Simmons Cemetery
- Jessups Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (645 more) ...
- Hills Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jessup Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lee Joyce Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lee Joyce Family Cemetery
- The Lee Joyce Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Joyce Cemetery
- Joyce Family Cemetery
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>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Westfield had a population of 32 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Westfield, with the one closest to Westfield listed first.
- Francisco
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Francisco is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
- Pilot Mountain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- Ararat
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Carters Mill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Ash Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ash Hill is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ash Hill
- Mount Airy
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- White Plains
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- White Plains is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Pinnacle
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Peters Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Dalton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Dalton is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
- Quaker Gap
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Campbell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Dobyns
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dobyns is located in Patrick County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dobyns
- Danbury
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Westfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Westfield.
Newspapers Published in Westfield ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westfield, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westfield.
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 helpful 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 Westfield:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Surry County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alleghany County
- Forsyth County
- Guilford County
- Rockingham County
- Stokes County
- Wilkes County
- Yadkin County
- Carroll County
- Floyd County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Henry County
- Patrick 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 Westfield, 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- Westfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |