Our Genealogy Helper
Introduction ...
So far, we found very little information about Williams Cross Roads. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>
We've added Williams Cross Roads to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Williams Cross Roads, please Contact Us.
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 Williams Cross Roads (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 Williams Cross Roads. 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 Williams Cross Roads ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Williams Cross Roads: Williams Xrds.
- While the name of this community is Williams Cross Roads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<2>. So Williams Cross Roads may originally have been William's Cross Roads.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Williams Cross Roads might be written as William Cross Roads.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Williams Cross Roads. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Williams Cross Roads.
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 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.
Although our information shows that the community of Williams Cross Roads is historic, it would have been located within present day 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 Williams Cross Roads. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Williams Cross Roads:
- Columbus County (The home county of Williams Cross Roads)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Mount Olive
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Evergreen
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Boardman
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Boardman is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boardman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 152 people
- Williamson Crossroads
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Chadbourn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Grist
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Grist is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grist
- Whiteville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cerro Gordo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Rico
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Rico is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
- Cedar Grove
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Grove is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Brunswick
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fair Bluff
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
- Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
- Bladen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Bladenboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Butters
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Butters is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butters
- Abbottsburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
- Clarkton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Dublin
(15 miles [24.1 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
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Olive
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Olive is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Rosindale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Rosindale is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosindale
- Yorick
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Yorick is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorick
- Tar Heel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ruskin
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Ruskin is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
- Council
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Council is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
- Robeson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Orrum
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Orrum is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Allenton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allenton is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
- Barnesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Barnesville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Proctorville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Proctorville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctorville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 119 people
- Lumberton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Fairmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Marietta
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Marietta is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Population from the 2020 Census: 168 people
- Barker Ten Mile
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Barker Ten Mile is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Ten Mile
- Lowe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lowe is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowe
- Saddletree
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Saddletree is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saddletree
- McDonald
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- McDonald is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDonald
- Population from the 2020 Census: 107 people
- Raynham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Raynham is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 68 people
- Dillon County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Lake View
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Fork
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Hamer
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Floydale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Horry County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Green Sea
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Finklea
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Finklea is located in Horry County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finklea
- Loris
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Marion County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Nichols
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Mullins
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Williams Cross Roads, see our County-by-County Page for Williams Cross Roads.
Cemeteries Near Williams Cross Roads ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Williams Cross Roads.
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 Williams Cross Roads - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Williams Cross Roads covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Brandh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Porters Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Williams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Owens Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Browns Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Callihan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Ellis Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Thompson Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Meadow Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Lewis Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Kelly Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jones Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (401 more) ...
- Benevolent Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ed Lewis Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Bladenboro Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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.
While we didn't find Williams Cross Roads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Williams Cross Roads.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Williams Cross Roads, with the one closest to Williams Cross Roads listed first.
- Evergreen
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Bladenboro
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Abbottsburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Abbottsburg is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abbottsburg
- Richardson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Richardson is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richardson
- Chadbourn
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Cerro Gordo
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cerro Gordo is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cerro Gordo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Whiteville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Clarkton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Orrum
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Orrum is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 72 people
- Allenton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Allenton is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allenton
- Barnesville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Barnesville is located in Robeson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnesville
- Elkton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Elkton is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkton
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Emerson
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Emerson is located in Bladen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson
- Fair Bluff
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fair Bluff is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fair Bluff
- Population from the 2020 Census: 879 people
- Hallsboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hallsboro is located in Columbus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallsboro
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Williams Cross Roads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Williams Cross Roads.
Newspapers Published in Williams Cross Roads ...
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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Williams Cross Roads.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Williams Cross Roads, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Williams Cross Roads.
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 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 Williams Cross Roads:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Columbus County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bladen County
- Robeson County
- Dillon County
- Horry County
- Marion County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
Footnotes ...
| <1> | 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 Williams Cross Roads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <2> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <3> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <4> | 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. |
| <5> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Williams Cross Roads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |