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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 Markham (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 Markham. 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 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 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.

Markham is located in Pittsylvania 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 Pittsylvania County: Caswell (NC), Rockingham (NC), Bedford, Campbell, Franklin, Halifax & Henry.

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

  • Pittsylvania County     (The home county of Markham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Chalk Level
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Java
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Riceville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riceville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
      • Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Riceville
      • From Markham to Riceville
    • Lucks
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Sonans
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
      • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sonans
      • From Markham to Sonans
    • Sheva
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sheva. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
      • Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Sheva
      • From Markham to Sheva
    • Transco Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Transco Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transco Village
      • Transco Village is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Renan
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Spring Garden
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Gretna
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Henrys Mill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Whittles
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Appomattox County
    • Spring Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Radford
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Radford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
      • Radford is located in Bedford County
    • Davis Mill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davis Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
      • Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Davis Mill
      • From Markham to Davis Mill
    • Moneta
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Altavista
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altavista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altavista
      • Altavista is located in Campbell County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,422 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altavista <3>
    • Melrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Melrose
      • From Markham to Melrose
    • Lynch Station
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Leesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leesville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
      • Leesville is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leesville
      • From Markham to Leesville
    • Brookneal
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Gladys
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hat Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hat Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hat Creek
      • Hat Creek is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hat Creek
      • From Markham to Hat Creek
    • Mount Zion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mount Zion. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
      • Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Mount Zion
      • From Markham to Mount Zion
    • Lawyers
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawyers. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Lawyers
      • From Markham to Lawyers
    • Rustburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Bedford Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Timberlake
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
    • Aspenwall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Phenix
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phenix have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
  • Danville City
  • Fluvanna County
    • Scottsburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Laprades Mill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Penhook
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • North Shore
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
      • North Shore is located in Franklin County
    • Union Hall
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hall
      • Union Hall is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Union Hall <3>
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
    • Westlake Corner
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Sign Rock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Leda
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
      • Leda is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leda
      • From Markham to Leda
    • Rodden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rodden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodden
      • Rodden is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rodden
      • From Markham to Rodden
    • Cody
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Loftis
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loftis
      • Loftis is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Loftis
      • From Markham to Loftis
    • Elmo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
      • Elmo is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmo
      • From Markham to Elmo
    • Jones
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Nathalie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Rabat
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
      • Rabat is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rabat
      • From Markham to Rabat
    • Sutherlin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Crystal Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Halifax
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Leatherwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leatherwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
      • Leatherwood is located in Henry County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Leatherwood
      • From Markham to Leatherwood
    • Axton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Madison County
  • Caswell County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Markham, with the one closest to Markham listed first.
    • Milton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milton
      • Milton is located in Caswell County (NC)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 146 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milton <3>
    • Blanch
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blanch
      • Blanch is located in Caswell County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Blanch <3>
    • Gatewood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Estelle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Estelle. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
      • Estelle is located in Caswell County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Estelle
      • From Markham to Estelle
    • Providence
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
      • Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Semora
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Semora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Semora
      • Semora is located in Caswell County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Semora <3>
    • Whitetown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Pelham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
      • Pelham is located in Caswell County (NC)

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

Cemeteries Near Markham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Markham.

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 Markham covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<5>

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

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

  • Chalk Level
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Riceville
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Riceville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
    • Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Riceville
    • From Markham to Riceville
  • Sonans
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sonans. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
    • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Sonans
    • From Markham to Sonans
  • Shockoe
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shockoe have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockoe
    • Shockoe is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Peytonsburg
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peytonsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peytonsburg
    • Peytonsburg is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Mount Airy
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Airy have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Airy
    • Mount Airy is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Ray
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ray have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ray
    • Ray is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Spring Garden
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Pickaway
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pickaway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickaway
    • Pickaway is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Leda
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
    • Leda is located in Halifax County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Leda
    • From Markham to Leda
  • Glenland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenland
    • Glenland is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Galveston
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galveston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galveston
    • Galveston is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Whittles
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Chatham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chatham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
      • Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
    • Rodden
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rodden. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodden
      • Rodden is located in Halifax County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Rodden
      • From Markham to Rodden

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

Newspapers Published in Markham ...

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 15 newspapers that have been published in the area around Markham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Markham, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Markham.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Markham:

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

The official website for Pittsylvania County: www.pittgov.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>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.
<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>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 Markham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Markham) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Markham. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8796, Longitude: -79.2411    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025