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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 Ray (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 Ray. 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 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.

Ray 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 Ray. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ray:

  • Pittsylvania County     (The home county of Ray)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Chalk Level
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
      • Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Gretna
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Gretna is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,179 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <1>
    • Sonans
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
      • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Brutus
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brutus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
      • Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Sheva
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheva
      • Sheva is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Markham
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Markham
      • Markham is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Whittles
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
      • Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
      • Whittles has also been known as:
      • Whittle's Depot
      • Whittle's Station
    • Renan
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Renan
      • Renan is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Transco Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Transco Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transco Village
      • Transco Village is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Riceville
      (8 miles [12.9 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
      • Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Java
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Java
      • Java is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Pittsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
      • Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
    • 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.<3> 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
  • Appomattox County
    • Spring Mills
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Spring Mills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Mills
      • Spring Mills is located in Appomattox County
  • Bedford City
    • Bedford
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bedford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Radford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Radford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
      • Radford is located in Bedford County
    • Davis Mill
      (23 miles [37 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davis Mill
      • Davis Mill is located in Bedford County
    • Moneta
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Clevilas ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clevilas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clevilas
      • Clevilas is located in Bedford County
    • Joppa Mill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joppa Mill
      • Joppa Mill is located in Bedford County
    • Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Goode
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Lowry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowry
      • Lowry is located in Bedford County
    • Goodview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Chamblissburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chamblissburg. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamblissburg
      • Chamblissburg is located in Bedford County
  • Campbell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Altavista
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altavista have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Leesville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
      • Leesville is located in Campbell County
    • Lynch Station
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch Station
      • Lynch Station is located in Campbell County
    • Melrose
      (17 miles [27.4 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Campbell County
    • Gladys
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Brookneal
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Mount Zion
      (24 miles [38.6 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
      • Mount Zion is located in Campbell County
    • Bedford Springs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bedford Springs. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bedford Springs
      • Bedford Springs is located in Campbell County
    • Lawyers
      (25 miles [40.2 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawyers
      • Lawyers is located in Campbell County
    • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hat Creek
      • Hat Creek is located in Campbell County
    • Timberlake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Timberlake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberlake
      • Timberlake is located in Campbell County
    • Rustburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Powhatan
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powhatan
      • Powhatan is located in Campbell County
  • Charlotte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Abell ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Abell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abell
      • Abell is located in Charlotte County
    • Aspenwall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aspenwall
      • Aspenwall is located in Charlotte County
  • Danville City
    • Danville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Penhook
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Laprades Mill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
      • Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
    • North Shore
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
      • North Shore is located in Franklin County
    • Union Hall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Hall have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Hales Ford ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hales Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
      • Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
    • Westlake Corner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westlake Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westlake Corner
      • Westlake Corner is located in Franklin County
    • Felicia ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felicia have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
      • Felicia is located in Franklin County
    • Redwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
      • Redwood is located in Franklin County
    • Villa ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
      • Villa is located in Franklin County
    • Burnt Chimney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnt Chimney
      • Burnt Chimney is located in Franklin County
    • Sydnorsville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
      • Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County
  • Halifax County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Cody
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
      • Cody is located in Halifax County
    • Leda
      (12 miles [19.3 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
      • Leda is located in Halifax County
    • Sign Rock
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Rock
      • Sign Rock is located in Halifax County
    • Rodden
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodden
      • Rodden is located in Halifax County
    • Loftis
      (19 miles [30.6 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loftis
      • Loftis is located in Halifax County
    • Nathalie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Rabat
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rabat
      • Rabat is located in Halifax County
    • Elmo
      (20 miles [32.2 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
      • Elmo is located in Halifax County
    • Jones
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
      • Jones is located in Halifax County
    • Crystal Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystal Hill
      • Crystal Hill is located in Halifax County
    • Sutherlin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
      • Sutherlin is located in Halifax County
    • Banister Town
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Banister Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banister Town
      • Banister Town is located in Halifax County
    • Halifax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Henry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Leatherwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
      • Leatherwood is located in Henry County
    • Axton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Madison County
    • Beaver Park
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Park
      • Beaver Park is located in Madison County
  • Caswell County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ray, with the one closest to Ray listed first.
    • Gatewood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
      • Gatewood is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Milton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Milton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Whitetown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
      • Whitetown is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Blanch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blanch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Providence
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Providence have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
      • Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Estelle
      (30 miles [48.3 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.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
      • Estelle is located in Caswell County (NC)
    • Pelham
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pelham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Ray, see our County-by-County Page for Ray.

Cemeteries Near Ray ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ray.

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Burch Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Midway Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Pines Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pines Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pines Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Gretna.
  • Thomas Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Whitethorn Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whitethorn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whitethorn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chatham Burial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chatham Burial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chatham Burial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillcrest Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jones Family Farm Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Atkinson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Atkinson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Atkinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Bethel Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Green Lawn Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (446 more) ...
    • Mulberry Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mulberry Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mulberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • New Prospect Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Prospect Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • New Bethel Church Church of the Brethren
      (10 miles [16.1 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ray had a population of 41 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Chalk Level
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
    • Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Sonans
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • 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.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonans
    • Sonans is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Galveston
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galveston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galveston
    • Galveston is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Whittles
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
    • Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Whittles has also been known as:
    • Whittle's Depot
    • Whittle's Station
  • Brutus
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Brutus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brutus
    • Brutus is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Mount Airy
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Airy have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Airy
    • Mount Airy is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Glenland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenland
    • Glenland is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Riceville
    (8 miles [12.9 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.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
    • Riceville is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Hill Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hill Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hill Grove
    • Hill Grove is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Pittsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
    • Pittsville is located in Pittsylvania County
  • Motley
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Motley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Motley
    • Motley is located in Pittsylvania County
  • 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.<3> 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
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Shockoe
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shockoe have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shockoe
      • Shockoe is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Level Run
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Level Run have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Level Run
      • Level Run is located in Pittsylvania County
    • Brights
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brights have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brights
      • Brights is located in Pittsylvania County

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

Newspapers Published in Ray ...

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 14 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ray.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ray, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ray.

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 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 Ray:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ray. 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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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.
<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 Ray, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ray) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ray. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.9363, Longitude: -79.3109       In this case, the coordinates for Ray have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025