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 Blanks (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 Blanks. 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 and doctors 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.
Blanks is located in Mecklenburg County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Mecklenburg County: Granville (NC), Vance (NC), Warren (NC), Brunswick, Charlotte, Halifax & Lunenburg.
Below are the counties that are near Blanks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blanks:
- Mecklenburg County (The home county of Blanks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Mill Village
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mill Village is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
- Clarksville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jeffress
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jeffress is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffress
- Finchley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Finchley is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchley
- Shiny Rock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Shiny Rock is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiny Rock
- Henrico
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Henrico is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrico
- Skipwith
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Skipwith is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipwith
- Averett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Averett is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averett
- Orgainville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Orgainville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgainville
- Boydton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Nelson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Cusco Willa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Cusco Willa is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusco Willa
- Brunswick County
- Brodnax
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Charlotte County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Wylliesburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Drakes Branch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Keysville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Fluvanna County
- Scottsburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Aarons Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Aarons Creek is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Creek
- Virgilina
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Omega
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Omega is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
- Clover
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Midway
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Mayo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Mayo is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayo
- Cluster Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Cluster Springs is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cluster Springs
- South Boston
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Banister Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Banister Town is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banister Town
- Clays Mill
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Clays Mill is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clays Mill
- Harmony
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Harmony is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Halifax
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lunenburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Wattsboro
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wattsboro is located in Lunenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsboro
- Bagleys Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bagleys Mills is located in Lunenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagleys Mills
- Pleasant Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Lunenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- Lunenburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lunenburg is located in Lunenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lunenburg
- Oral Oaks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oral Oaks is located in Lunenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oral Oaks
- Spotsylvania County
- Brokenburg
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Brokenburg is located in Spotsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brokenburg
- Franklin County (NC)
- Lake View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lake View is located in Franklin County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake View
- Granville County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Bullock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Townsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Stovall
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Stovall is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stovall
- Population from the 2020 Census: 420 people
- Gela
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Gela is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gela
- Wilbourns
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Wilbourns is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbourns
- Oxford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Oxford is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 8,905 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oxford <1>
- Berea
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Berea is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Clay
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Clay is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay
- Providence
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Providence is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Fairport
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Fairport is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairport
- Tar River
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Tar River is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tar River
- Stem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Stem is located in Granville County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stem
- Population from the 2020 Census: 474 people
- Person County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Allensville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Allensville is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allensville
- Moriah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Moriah is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moriah
- Roxboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ceffo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ceffo is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceffo
- Hicks Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hicks Village is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Village
- Mount Tirzah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Tirzah is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tirzah
- Whitt Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Whitt Town is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
- Vance County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Drewry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Drewry is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drewry
- Dabney
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Dabney is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dabney
- Flat Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Rock is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Middleburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- South Henderson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- South Henderson is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Henderson
- Adcock Crossroads
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Adcock Crossroads is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adcock Crossroads
- Bear Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bear Pond is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Pond
- Gill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Gill is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gill
- Gillburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Gillburg is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillburg
- Bobbitt
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bobbitt is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobbitt
- Kittrell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Warren County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Rose Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Rose Hill is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill
- Manson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Soul City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Soul City is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soul City
- Wise
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wise is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wise
- Norlina
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Snow Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Snow Hill is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Warren Plains
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Warren Plains is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren Plains
- Afton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Afton is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Afton
- Warrenton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Macon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Church Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Church Hill is located in Warren County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Church Hill
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blanks, see our County-by-County Page for Blanks.
Cemeteries Near Blanks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blanks.
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 Blanks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blanks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Oakhurst Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bluestone Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- State Line Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Skipwith Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipwith Family Cemetery
- The Skipwith Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Prestwould Cemetery
- Prestwould Planation Cemetery
- St. Matthews Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Burwell Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Chandler Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Union Chapel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Fields Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Ligon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (193 more) ...
- Williamson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hayes Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hebron Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 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.<2>
While we didn't find Blanks in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blanks.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blanks, with the one closest to Blanks listed first.
- Clarksville
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Soudan
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Soudan is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soudan
- Jeffress
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Jeffress is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffress
- Finchley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Finchley is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchley
- Buffalo Junction
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Junction is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Junction
- Averett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Averett is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averett
- Skipwith
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Skipwith is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipwith
- Siddon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Siddon is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siddon
- Bullock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Buffalo Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Buffalo Springs is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Springs
- Orgainville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Orgainville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgainville
- Nelson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Boydton
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Townsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Woodworth
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Woodworth is located in Vance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodworth
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blanks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blanks.
Newspapers Published in Blanks ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blanks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blanks, 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 Blanks.
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 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 Blanks:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Mecklenburg County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Brunswick County
- Charlotte County
- Fluvanna County
- Halifax County
- Lunenburg County
- Spotsylvania County
- Franklin County
- Granville County
- Person County
- Vance County
- Warren County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 Blanks, 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 from Point A (ie- Blanks) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |