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 Whitmell (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 Whitmell. 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.
Whitmell 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 Whitmell. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Whitmell:
- Pittsylvania County (The home county of Whitmell)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Mount Cross
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Swansonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Ridgecrest
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Ridgecrest is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgecrest
- Grady
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Weal
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Tightsqueeze
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Tightsqueeze is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tightsqueeze
- Chatham
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chatham is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,413 people
- Worlds
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Worlds is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worlds
- Kentuck
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Kentuck is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kentuck
- Cascade
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cascade is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade
- Spring Garden
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Spring Garden is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Garden
- Transco Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Transco Village is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transco Village
- Museville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Museville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Museville
- Bedford County
- Radford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Radford is located in Bedford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Radford
- Campbell County
- Leesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Leesville is located in Campbell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesville
- Danville City
- Danville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Franklin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Laprades Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Laprades Mill is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laprades Mill
- Penhook
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Sydnorsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sydnorsville is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sydnorsville
- Union Hall
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- North Shore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- North Shore is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Shore
- Felicia ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Felicia is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felicia
- Redwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Redwood is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood
- Henry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Rocky Mount
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barfoot
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Barfoot is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barfoot
- Prilliman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Prilliman is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prilliman
- Villa ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Villa is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa
- Hales Ford ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Hales Ford is located in Franklin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hales Ford
- Halifax County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Sutherlin
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Sutherlin is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sutherlin
- Delila
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Delila is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delila
- Elmo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Elmo is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmo
- Sign Rock
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Sign Rock is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sign Rock
- Rodden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rodden is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rodden
- Jones
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Jones is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jones
- Leda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Leda is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leda
- Alton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cody
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cody is located in Halifax County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cody
- Henry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Axton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Leatherwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Leatherwood is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherwood
- Irisburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Irisburg is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irisburg
- Sandy Level
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Level
- Laurel Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Laurel Park is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Park
- Chatmoss
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Chatmoss is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatmoss
- Ridgeway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Collinsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Villa Heights
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Villa Heights is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Heights
- Reed Creek Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Reed Creek Village is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek Village
- Fieldale
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Horse Pasture
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Horse Pasture is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Pasture
- Oak Level
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Oak Level is located in Henry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Level
- Madison County
- Beaver Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Beaver Park is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Park
- Martinsville City
- Martinsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Caswell County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Whitetown
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Whitetown is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitetown
- Pelham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pelham is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Gatewood
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gatewood is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gatewood
- Providence
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Providence is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Bethel
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bethel is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Blanch
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Quick
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Quick is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quick
- Estelle
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Estelle is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelle
- Milton
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Yanceyville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- West Yanceyville is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Yanceyville
- Yanceyville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Locust Hill is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Hill
- Ashland
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Ashland is located in Caswell County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Person County (NC)
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Concord is located in Person County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Rockingham County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Draper ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Draper is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
- Ruffin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Meadow Summit
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Meadow Summit is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Summit
- Eden
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Spray is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spray
- Fairview
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Fairview is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Lawsonville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Lawsonville is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawsonville
- College Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- College Village is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for College Village
- Matrimony
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Matrimony is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matrimony
- Providence
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Providence is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Wentworth
(24 miles [38.6 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
- Shiloh
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Shiloh is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Belmont
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Belmont is located in Rockingham County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Whitmell, see our County-by-County Page for Whitmell.
Cemeteries Near Whitmell ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Whitmell.
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 Whitmell - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Whitmell covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Scearce Gammon Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Gregory Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Soyar Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Harris Homestead Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Danville Memorial Gardens
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cunningham Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Highland Burial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland Burial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Highland Burial Park is a very large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Danville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #50621 <3>
- Moss Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Weal Presbyterian Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mountain View Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View Cemetery
- The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
- Mt. View Cemetery
- Mt. View Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Grove Street Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (519 more) ...
- Leemont Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Hillcrest Memorial Park
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Chatham Burial Park
(10 miles [16.1 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Whitmell had a population of 227 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Whitmell, with the one closest to Whitmell listed first.
- Vance
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Vance is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance
- Mount Cross
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Cross is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Cross
- Pleasant Gap
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Pleasant Gap is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Gap
- Banister
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Banister is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banister
- Swansonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Swansonville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swansonville
- Bachelors Hall
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bachelors Hall is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bachelors Hall
- Brosville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Brosville is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brosville
- Dry Fork
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dry Fork is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dry Fork
- Sandy River
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Sandy River is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy River
- Vandola
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Vandola is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vandola
- Callands
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Callands is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callands
- Grady
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Grady is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grady
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Buford
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Buford is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buford
- Weal
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Weal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weal
- Axton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Whitmell. See our List of 1890's Communities around Whitmell.
Newspapers Published in Whitmell ...
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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Whitmell.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Whitmell, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Whitmell.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Whitmell:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Pittsylvania County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bedford County
- Campbell County
- Danville City
- Franklin County
- Halifax County
- Henry County
- Madison County
- Martinsville City
- Caswell 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Whitmell) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <4> | 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 Whitmell, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |