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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 Abilene (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 Abilene. 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 doctors 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.

Abilene is located in Charlotte County.

To see how the shape of Virginia's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Charlotte County: Appomattox, Campbell, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg & Prince Edward.

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

  • Charlotte County     (The home county of Abilene)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Cullen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Keysville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
      • Keysville is located in Charlotte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 776 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keysville <2>
    • Charlotte Court House
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Drakes Branch
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Rough Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Phenix
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phenix have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
      • Phenix is located in Charlotte County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
    • Aspenwall
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
    • Wylliesburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Amelia County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Rodophil
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rodophil. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodophil
      • Rodophil is located in Amelia County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rodophil
      • From Abilene to Rodophil
    • Paineville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Appomattox County
  • Buckingham County
  • Campbell County
  • Cumberland County
  • Fluvanna County
    • Scottsburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsburg
      • Scottsburg is located in Fluvanna County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottsburg <2>
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Clover
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Rabat
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rabat. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
      • Rabat is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rabat
      • From Abilene to Rabat
    • Nathalie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Midway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Midway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Midway
      • From Abilene to Midway
    • Clays Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clays Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clays Mill
      • Clays Mill is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clays Mill
      • From Abilene to Clays Mill
    • Crystal Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Loftis
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Loftis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loftis
      • Loftis is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Loftis
      • From Abilene to Loftis
  • Lunenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Meherrin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Pleasant Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Nutbush
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lunenburg
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Victoria
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in Lunenburg County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,632 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Victoria <2>
    • Wattsboro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wattsboro. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsboro
      • Wattsboro is located in Lunenburg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wattsboro
      • From Abilene to Wattsboro
    • Oral Oaks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oral Oaks. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oral Oaks
      • Oral Oaks is located in Lunenburg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Oral Oaks
      • From Abilene to Oral Oaks
    • Kenbridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bagleys Mills
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Mecklenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Finneywood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Chase City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Wightman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Wightman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wightman
      • Wightman is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Wightman
      • From Abilene to Wightman
    • Orgainville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Orgainville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgainville
      • Orgainville is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Orgainville
      • From Abilene to Orgainville
    • Ogburn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ogburn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogburn
      • Ogburn is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ogburn
      • From Abilene to Ogburn
  • Nottoway County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Burkeville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burkeville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burkeville
      • Burkeville is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burkeville <2>
    • Crewe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crewe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crewe
      • Crewe is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crewe <2>
    • Winnie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Winnie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnie
      • Winnie is located in Nottoway County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Winnie
      • From Abilene to Winnie
    • Blackstone
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blackstone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackstone
      • Blackstone is located in Nottoway County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,304 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blackstone <2>
  • Prince Edward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Abilene, with the one closest to Abilene listed first.
    • Darlington Heights
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Five Forks
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Blake Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blake Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake Village
      • Blake Village is located in Prince Edward County
    • Hampden - Sydney
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Tuggle
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Green Bay
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Farmville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmville
      • Farmville is located in Prince Edward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,842 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Farmville <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Abilene ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Abilene.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

  • Douglas Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Douglas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Douglas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Bethel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Creek Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Ann Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Ann Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Ann Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethpeor Baptist Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Bethpeor Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethpeor Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethpeor Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Ellis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Ellis Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Ellis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ash Camp Memorial Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ash Camp Memorial Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ash Camp Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Buffalo Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Buffalo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Buffalo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Wit Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Wit Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Wit Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (152 more) ...
    • Evergreen Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Seminary Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Seminary Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Seminary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Oaks Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oaks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oaks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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>

While we didn't find Abilene in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Abilene.

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

  • County Line Cross Roads
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for County Line Cross Roads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for County Line Cross Roads
    • County Line Cross Roads is located in Charlotte County
  • Briery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Briery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briery
    • Briery is located in Prince Edward County
  • Darlington Heights
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Five Forks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Tredway ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tredway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tredway
    • Tredway is located in Prince Edward County
  • Keysville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Keysville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keysville
    • Keysville is located in Charlotte County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 776 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Keysville <2>
  • Worsham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worsham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worsham
    • Worsham is located in Prince Edward County
  • Hampden - Sydney
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Madisonville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madisonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madisonville
    • Madisonville is located in Charlotte County
  • Drakes Branch
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Meherrin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Ontario
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ontario have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ontario
    • Ontario is located in Charlotte County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Abilene ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Abilene.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Abilene, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Abilene.

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 Abilene:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Abilene. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Charlotte County: www.co.charlotte.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<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 Abilene, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>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- Abilene) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Abilene. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1421, Longitude: -78.5440    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025