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 Unity (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 Unity. 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 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 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.
Unity is located in Southampton 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 Southampton County: Hertford (NC), Northampton (NC), Franklin, Greensville, Suffolk City, Surry & Sussex.
Below are the counties that are near Unity. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Unity:
- Southampton County (The home county of Unity)
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Doles Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Doles Crossroads is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doles Crossroads
- Burdette
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Burdette is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdette
- Black Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Black Creek is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Creek
- Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Sedley
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sedley is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedley
- Ivor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Edgehill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Edgehill is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgehill
- Hunterdale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hunterdale is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunterdale
- Cypress Manor
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cypress Manor is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cypress Manor
- Isaac
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Isaac is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isaac
- Courtland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Watkins Corner
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Watkins Corner is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watkins Corner
- Delaware
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Delaware is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
- Chesapeake City
- Charlton Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Charlton Village is located in Chesapeake City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlton Village
- Franklin City
- Franklin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Hampton City
- Greenwood Farms
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Greenwood Farms is located in Hampton City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood Farms
- Isle of Wight County
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Walters
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Walters is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walters
- Zuni
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Zuni is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zuni
- Carrsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Carrsville is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
- Windsor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Raynor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Raynor is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynor
- Magnet
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Magnet is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnet
- Smithfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Rushmere
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rushmere is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushmere
- Rescue
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Rescue is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rescue
- James City County
- Jamestown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Newport News City
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Hilton Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hilton Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilton Village
- Bernard Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Bernard Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernard Village
- Newport News
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Red Hill Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Red Hill Village is located in Newport News City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill Village
- Prince George County
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Burrowsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Burrowsville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burrowsville
- Newville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newville is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newville
- Talpa ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Talpa is located in Prince George County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talpa
- Suffolk City
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Oak Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
- Holland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Kilby
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Kilby is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kilby
- Manning
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Manning is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manning
- Chuckatuck
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Chuckatuck is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chuckatuck
- Suffolk
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Pittmantown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Pittmantown is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittmantown
- Russell
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Russell is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Wilroy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wilroy is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilroy
- Whaley
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Whaley is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
- Whaleyville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Whaleyville is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaleyville
- Bennett Harbor
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Bennett Harbor is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bennett Harbor
- Driver
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Driver is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Driver
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Dendron
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Itata
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Itata is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itata
- Beachland
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Beachland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beachland
- Carsley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Carsley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carsley
- Surry
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Spring Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Spring Grove is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
- Scotland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Scotland is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
- Claremont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Claremont is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Population from the 2020 Census: 335 people
- Homewood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Homewood is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Homewood
- Sussex County
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Wakefield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Waverly
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sussex
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sussex is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sussex
- Yale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Yale is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yale
- Henry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Henry is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Mason
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mason is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mason
- Stony Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Grizzard
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Grizzard is located in Sussex County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grizzard
- Gates County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Reynoldson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Reynoldson is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldson
- Gates
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Willeyton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Willeyton is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willeyton
- Roduco
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Roduco is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roduco
- White Oak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- White Oak is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Corapeake
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Eure
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Holly Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Holly Grove is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Grove
- Gatesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Savage
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Savage is located in Gates County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage
- Sunbury
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hertford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Como
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Como is located in Hertford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Como
- Population from the 2020 Census: 82 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Como <1>
- Barretts Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Barretts Crossroads is located in Hertford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barretts Crossroads
- Murfreesboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Tunis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Tunis is located in Hertford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunis
- Tuscarora Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Tuscarora Beach is located in Hertford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscarora Beach
- Tuscarora Beach has also been known as:
- Barfield
- Barfields
- Winton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Northampton County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Severn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Severn is located in Northampton County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Severn
- Population from the 2020 Census: 238 people
- Pendleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Pendleton is located in Northampton County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Unity, see our County-by-County Page for Unity.
Cemeteries Near Unity ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Unity.
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 Unity - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Unity covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Raiford Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Barham Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Bowden Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bristown Family Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Gay Family Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- McClenny Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Stephenson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Ebenezer Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Scott Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Diggs Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Ivor Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Gilfield Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Continue List (132 more) ...
- Brittle Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Holmes Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
Nearby Communities in 1895 ...
We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<2>
While we didn't find Unity in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Unity.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Unity, with the one closest to Unity listed first.
- Zuni
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Zuni is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zuni
- Berlin
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Berlin is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berlin
- Ivor
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Carrsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Carrsville is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrsville
- Vicksville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Vicksville is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vicksville
- Lees Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Lees Mill is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lees Mill
- Windsor
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Isaac
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Isaac is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isaac
- Franklin
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Elwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Elwood is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elwood
- Holland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Holland is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
- Courtland
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Myrtle
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Myrtle is located in Suffolk City
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myrtle
- Raynor
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Raynor is located in Isle of Wight County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raynor
- Delaware
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Delaware is located in Southampton County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delaware
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Unity. See our List of 1890's Communities around Unity.
Newspapers Published in Unity ...
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 Unity.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Unity, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Unity.
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 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 Unity:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Southampton County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chesapeake City
- Franklin City
- Hampton City
- Isle of Wight County
- James City County
- Newport News City
- Prince George County
- Suffolk City
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Gates County
- Hertford County
- Northampton County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Unity, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Unity) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |