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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 Public Fork (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 Public Fork. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Public Fork ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Public Fork: Public Frk.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the 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.

Public Fork is located in Charlotte 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 Charlotte County: Appomattox, Campbell, Halifax, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg & Prince Edward.

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

  • Charlotte County     (The home county of Public Fork)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Wylliesburg
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Drakes Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Charlotte Court House
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Aspenwall
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Aspenwall is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspenwall
    • Keysville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Phenix
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Phenix is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phenix
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 211 people
    • Cullen
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Cullen is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullen
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
    • Rough Creek
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Rough Creek is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rough Creek
    • Abilene
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Abilene is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abilene
  • Appomattox County
    • Pamplin City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Brookneal
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Hat Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Hat Creek is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hat Creek
    • Melrose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Melrose is located in Campbell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
  • Fluvanna County
    • Scottsburg
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Clover
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Midway
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Midway is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Aarons Creek
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Aarons Creek is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aarons Creek
    • Clays Mill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Clays Mill is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clays Mill
    • Omega
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Omega is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Omega
    • Crystal Hill
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Crystal Hill is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Hill
    • Banister Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Banister Town is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banister Town
    • South Boston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Halifax
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Westside Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Westside Village is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westside Village
    • Nathalie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Loftis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Loftis is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loftis
    • Rabat
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Rabat is located in Halifax County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
  • Lunenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Pleasant Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Pleasant Grove is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
    • Wattsboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Wattsboro is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattsboro
    • Lunenburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Lunenburg is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lunenburg
    • Meherrin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Meherrin is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meherrin
    • Bagleys Mills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Bagleys Mills is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bagleys Mills
    • Oral Oaks
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Oral Oaks is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oral Oaks
    • Nutbush
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Nutbush is located in Lunenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nutbush
    • Victoria
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Kenbridge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Mecklenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Orgainville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Orgainville is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgainville
    • Finneywood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Finneywood is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finneywood
    • Chase City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Skipwith
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Skipwith is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skipwith
    • Jeffress
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jeffress is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jeffress
    • Finchley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Finchley is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finchley
    • Clarksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Mill Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Mill Village is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Village
    • Henrico
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Henrico is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrico
    • Averett
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Averett is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Averett
    • Nelson
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Nelson is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
    • Boydton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Shiny Rock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Shiny Rock is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiny Rock
  • Pittsylvania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Henrys Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Henrys Mill is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrys Mill
    • Riceville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
  • Prince Edward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Darlington Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Darlington Heights is located in Prince Edward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darlington Heights
    • Green Bay
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Five Forks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Five Forks is located in Prince Edward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
    • Blake Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Blake Village is located in Prince Edward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blake Village
    • Hampden - Sydney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Hampden - Sydney is located in Prince Edward County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hampden - Sydney
  • Granville County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Public Fork, with the one closest to Public Fork listed first.
    • Bullock
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Wilbourns
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Wilbourns is located in Granville County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbourns
    • Stovall
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • Townsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Gela
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Gela is located in Granville County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gela
  • Warren County (NC)
    • Rose Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Rose Hill is located in Warren County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Hill

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

Cemeteries Near Public Fork ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Public Fork.

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 Public Fork - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Clover Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Clover Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northwest of Clover.
    • The Clover Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Clovertown Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #49818 <2>
  • St. Matthews Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Rodgers Chapel Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Ephesus Untied Methodist Church Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Black Branch Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Mt. Laurel Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Owens Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Scottsburg Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Piney Grove Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (182 more) ...
    • New Hope Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Bethlehem Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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>

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

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

  • Wylliesburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Clover
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Randolph
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Laconia
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Laconia is located in Charlotte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laconia
  • Midway
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Midway is located in Halifax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
  • Dryburg
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Dryburg is located in Halifax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dryburg
  • Saxe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Orgainville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Orgainville is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orgainville
  • Mount Laurel
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Mount Laurel is located in Halifax County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Laurel
  • Scottsburg
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Finneywood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Finneywood is located in Mecklenburg County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Finneywood
  • Mossingford
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Mossingford is located in Charlotte County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mossingford
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Chase City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Fort Mitchell
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Fort Mitchell is located in Charlotte County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Mitchell
    • Drakes Branch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in Public Fork ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Public Fork.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Public Fork, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Public Fork.

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 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 Public Fork:

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 Public Fork, 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- Public Fork) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.