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 Dobyns (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 Dobyns. 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 doctors and 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.
Dobyns is located in Patrick 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 Patrick County: Stokes (NC), Surry (NC), Carroll, Floyd, Franklin & Henry.
Below are the counties that are near Dobyns. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Dobyns:
- Patrick County (The home county of Dobyns)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Stuart
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Peters Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Patrick Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Meadows of Dan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Carters Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Critz
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Woolwine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Ararat
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Nettleridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Elamsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Stella
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Stella is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
- Charity
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Charity is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charity
- Carroll County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Pike City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Pike City is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pike City
- Nester
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Nester is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nester
- Gladesboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Gladesboro is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gladesboro
- Cana
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Dugspur
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fancy Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hillsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lambsburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Star
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Star is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
- Drenn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Drenn is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
- Pipers Gap
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
- Woodlawn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Floyd County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Haycock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Haycock is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haycock
- Floyd
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Poff
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Poff is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poff
- Duncan
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Duncan is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Pizarro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pizarro is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pizarro
- Indian Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sowers
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sowers is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sowers
- Simpsons
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Simpsons is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpsons
- Terrys Fork
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Terrys Fork is located in Floyd County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terrys Fork
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Henry
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Prilliman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Prilliman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prilliman
- Ferrum
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Preston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Bassett
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Horse Pasture
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Stanleytown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Fieldale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Collinsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Reed Creek Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Villa Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Oak Level
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Ridgeway
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Chatmoss
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Laurel Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Montgomery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Pilot
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Childress
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Childress is located in Montgomery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childress
- Riner
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Pulaski County
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Mack Creek Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mack Creek Village is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack Creek Village
- Snowville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Snowville is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snowville
- Forsyth County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- King
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- King is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,912 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for King <1>
- Bannertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Bannertown is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bannertown
- Chestnut Trails
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Chestnut Trails is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Trails
- Heritage Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Heritage Village is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Village
- The Meadows
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- The Meadows is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Meadows
- Rural Hall
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Tobaccoville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Donnaha
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Donnaha is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnaha
- Creek View
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Creek View is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creek View
- Dennis
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dennis is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dennis
- Oak Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Oak Park is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
- Belews Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Belews Creek is located in Forsyth County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belews Creek
- Rockingham County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Mayodan
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Madison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Stoneville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Matrimony
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Ellisboro
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ellisboro is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellisboro
- Shiloh
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Shiloh is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Providence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Stokes County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Aarons Corner
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Aarons Corner is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Corner
- Campbell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Lawsonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lawsonville is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Snow Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Snow Hill is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Snow Hill
- Oak Ridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Oak Ridge is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Ridge
- Vade Mecum
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Vade Mecum is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vade Mecum
- Sandy Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Flat Rock is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Amostown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Amostown is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amostown
- Danbury
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Capella
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Capella is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capella
- Quaker Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Quaker Gap is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quaker Gap
- Surry County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Albion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Albion is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albion
- Mount Herman
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Herman is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Herman
- Westfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Rock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Rock is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Sheltontown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Sheltontown is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheltontown
- Holly Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Holly Springs is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Mount Airy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Pilot Mountain
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Toast
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Toast is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toast
- Ararat
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Flat Shoals is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Shoals
- White Plains
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- White Plains is located in Surry County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Yadkin County (NC)
- East Bend
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Dobyns, see our County-by-County Page for Dobyns.
Cemeteries Near Dobyns ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Dobyns.
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 Dobyns - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Dobyns covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Rye Cove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye Cove Cemetery
- The Rye Cove Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fain Family Cemetery
- Handy Family Cemetery
- Handy - Rye Cemetery
- Light Family Cemetery
- Mayo Mtn. Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Creaseys Chapel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Stuart Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stuart Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Stuart Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Stuart.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1968882 <2>
- Robert L. Beasely Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Wayside Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Bouldin Memorial Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- New Dan River Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- High Point Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Patrick Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Danube Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Hatcher Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (722 more) ...
- Minnies Chapel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Big A Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Cockram Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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, Dobyns had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Dobyns, with the one closest to Dobyns listed first.
- Peters Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Peters Creek is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peters Creek
- Stuart
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Vesta
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Patrick Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Meadows of Dan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Carters Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Carters Mill is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carters Mill
- Francisco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Francisco is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Francisco
- Palmetto
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Palmetto is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmetto
- Buffalo Ridge
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Buffalo Ridge is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Ridge
- Campbell
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Campbell is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campbell
- Critz
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Woolwine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Nettleridge
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Nettleridge is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nettleridge
- Elamsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elamsville is located in Patrick County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elamsville
- Laurel Fork
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Dobyns. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dobyns.
Newspapers Published in Dobyns ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Dobyns.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Dobyns, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Dobyns.
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 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 Dobyns:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Patrick County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carroll County
- Floyd County
- Franklin County
- Henry County
- Martinsville City
- Montgomery County
- Pulaski County
- Forsyth County
- Rockingham County
- Stokes County
- Surry County
- Yadkin 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> | 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 Dobyns, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Dobyns) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |