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 Whitfield (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 Whitfield. 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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Whitfield is located in Pittsylvania 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 Pittsylvania County: Caswell (NC), Rockingham (NC), Bedford, Campbell, Franklin, Halifax & Henry.
Below are the counties that are near Whitfield. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Whitfield:
- Pittsylvania County (The home county of Whitfield)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Mount Cross
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Ridgecrest
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Ridgecrest is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Cascade
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
- Kentuck
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Kentuck is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Swansonville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Tightsqueeze
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Tightsqueeze is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightsqueeze
- Laurel Grove
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Grove is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Grove
- Spring Garden
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Garden is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Grady
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Chatham
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Weal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Transco Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Transco Village is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transco Village
- Worlds
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Danville City
- Danville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin County
- Laprades Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Sutherlin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Sutherlin is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
- Delila
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Delila is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delila
- Elmo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Elmo is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
- Alton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jones
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Jones is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Sign Rock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sign Rock is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Rock
- Harmony
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Harmony is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Rodden
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Rodden is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodden
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Sandy Level
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sandy Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Level
- Axton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Irisburg
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Laurel Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Leatherwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Chatmoss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Ridgeway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Villa Heights
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Collinsville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Horse Pasture
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Reed Creek Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Fieldale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Preston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Preston is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Madison County
- Beaver Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Beaver Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Park
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Alamance County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Union Ridge
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Union Ridge is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Ridge
- Clover Garden
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Clover Garden is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Garden
- Altamahaw
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Altamahaw is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altamahaw
- Pleasant Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Pleasant Grove is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove
- McCray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- McCray is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCray
- Ossipee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ossipee is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ossipee
- Population from the 2020 Census: 593 people
- Just Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Just Crossroads is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Just Crossroads
- Green Acres
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Green Acres is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Acres
- Lakeview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Lakeview is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Birchwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Birchwood is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birchwood
- British Acres
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- British Acres is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for British Acres
- Carolina
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Carolina is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina
- Glencoe
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Glencoe is located in Alamance County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glencoe
- Caswell County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Whitetown
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Whitetown is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
- Pelham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pelham is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Gatewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Gatewood is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
- Bethel
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Providence
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Quick
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Quick is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
- Blanch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- West Yanceyville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- West Yanceyville is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yanceyville
- Locust Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Locust Hill is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Yanceyville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Estelle
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Estelle is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Milton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ashland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Ashland is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Guilford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Browns Summit
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Scalesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Scalesville is located in Guilford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scalesville
- Gibsonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rudd
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rudd is located in Guilford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rudd
- Orange County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Carr
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Carr is located in Orange County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carr
- Laws
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Laws is located in Orange County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laws
- McDade
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- McDade is located in Orange County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McDade
- Person County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Concord
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Concord is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Ceffo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ceffo is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ceffo
- Hicks Village
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Hicks Village is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hicks Village
- Roseville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Roseville is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
- Roxboro
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Whitt Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Whitt Town is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitt Town
- Allens Level
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Allens Level is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allens Level
- Hurdle Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rockingham County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Ruffin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lawsonville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lawsonville is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- Draper ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Draper is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
- Meadow Summit
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Meadow Summit is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Summit
- College Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- College Village is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
- Eden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Eden is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden
- Population from the 2020 Census: 14,867 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden <1>
- Spray ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Spray is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spray
- Fairview
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Belmont
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Belmont is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Norwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Norwood is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood
- Reidsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Wentworth
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Wentworth is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wentworth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,734 people
- Providence
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Whitfield, see our County-by-County Page for Whitfield.
Cemeteries Near Whitfield ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Whitfield.
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 Whitfield - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Whitfield covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Stokesland Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Schoolfield Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Danville Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Moss Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Hickory Grove UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Oak Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Freedmens Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Green Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Grove Street Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
- The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mt. View Cemetery
- Mt. View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mayfield MB Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (253 more) ...
- Danville National Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Scearce Gammon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Leemont Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Whitfield in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Whitfield.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Whitfield, with the one closest to Whitfield listed first.
- Pelham
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Pelham is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Vandola
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Vandola is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandola
- Gatewood
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Gatewood is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
- Buford
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Buford is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buford
- Mayfield
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Mayfield is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Bachelors Hall
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Bachelors Hall is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachelors Hall
- Mount Cross
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Oak Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Oak Hill is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Hill
- Ruffin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Blackwell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Blackwell is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackwell
- Purley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Purley is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purley
- Brosville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Brosville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brosville
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Allison
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Allison is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison
- Vance
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Vance is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Blanch
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Whitfield. See our List of 1890's Communities around Whitfield.
Newspapers Published in Whitfield ...
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 76 newspapers that have been published in the area around Whitfield.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Whitfield, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Whitfield.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Whitfield:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Pittsylvania County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Danville City
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Henry County
- Madison County
- Martinsville City
- Alamance County
- Caswell County
- Guilford County
- Orange County
- Person County
- Rockingham 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 Whitfield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Whitfield) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |