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 Bells Crossroads (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 Bells Crossroads. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.
Name Variations for Bells Crossroads ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
- A typical abbreviation for Bells Crossroads: Bells Xrds.
- While the name of this community is Bells Crossroads, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Bells Crossroads may originally have been Bell's Crossroads.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Bells Crossroads might be written as Bell Crossroads.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Bells Crossroads. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Bells Crossroads.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
Neighboring Counties ...
When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.
For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the 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.
Bells Crossroads is located in Iredell County.
To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Iredell County: Alexander, Cabarrus, Catawba, Davie, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan & Yadkin.
Below are the counties that are near Bells Crossroads. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bells Crossroads:
- Iredell County (The home county of Bells Crossroads)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Ostwalt
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ostwalt is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostwalt
- Shepherds
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shepherds is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherds
- Troutman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Doolie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Doolie is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolie
- Barium Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Barium Springs is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barium Springs
- Mazeppa
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mazeppa is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Mayhew
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mayhew is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
- Mooresville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Eufola
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Eufola is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eufola
- Mount Mourne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mount Mourne is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Mourne
- Belmont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Belmont is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Statesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Stony Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stony Point is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Fairview Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Hiddenite
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Midway
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Millersville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Taylorsville Beach
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Isenhour Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Rocky Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Taylorsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Liledoun
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Bethlehem
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Vashti
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Burke County
- Hildebran
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Cabarrus County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Fisher Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Fisher Town is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher Town
- Tulin ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Tulin is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulin
- Cannon Crossroads
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Cannon Crossroads is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Crossroads
- Cannon Crossroads has also been known as:
- Cannon Cross Roads
- Cannon's Crossroads
- Wallace Cross Roads
- Wallace Crossroads
- Poplar Tent
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Poplar Tent is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Tent
- Concord
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rimer
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rimer is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
- Harrisburg
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Concord ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Concord is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Northlakes
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Monbo
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Monbo is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monbo
- Lake Norman of Catawba
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Terrell
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Long Island
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Long Island is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Island
- Sherrills Ford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Killian Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Killian Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian Crossroads
- Bandy
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bandy is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandy
- Catawba
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Murrays Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Murrays Hill is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrays Hill
- Drums Crossroads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Drums Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drums Crossroads
- Catfish
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Catfish is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Olivers Crossroads
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Olivers Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivers Crossroads
- Davidson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Lakeview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Lakeview is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Tyro
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Tyro is located in Davidson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tyro
- Davie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Cooleemee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Calahaln
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Calahaln is located in Davie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calahaln
- Ephesus
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Ephesus is located in Davie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ephesus
- Clinton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Clinton is located in Davie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
- Mocksville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Pino
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Pino is located in Davie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Lucia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lucia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucia
- Alexis
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Alexis is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexis
- Stanley
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Woodland is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Mount Holly
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- High Shoals
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- High Shoals is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Shoals
- Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
- Spencer Mountain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Spencer Mountain is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Mountain
- Estimated population in 2016: 36 people
- Brown Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Brown Town is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Dallas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ranlo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- Belmont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lowell
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Denver
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Westport
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Westport is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- Lowesville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lowesville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
- Machpelah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Boger City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Iron Station
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Lincolnton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Crouse
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Vale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mecklenburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- River View ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- River View is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
- Cornelius
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Davidson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Huntersville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Croft
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Croft is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
- Spring Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Spring Lake is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Chateau Woods
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Chateau Woods is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Woods
- Paw Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Paw Creek is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Creek
- Newell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Newell is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Greenville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Greenville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Belmont
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Belmont is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Biddleville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
- Rowan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Mount Ulla
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Bear Poplar
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bear Poplar is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Poplar
- Harts ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Harts is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harts
- Cleveland
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Bridge
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mill Bridge is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Bridge
- Barber
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Barber is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barber
- Enochville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Enochville is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enochville
- Five Points
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Five Points is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Five Forks
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Five Forks is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Pittsburg
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pittsburg is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Corriher Heights
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Corriher Heights is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriher Heights
- Mount Vernon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Vernon is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Vernon
- Wilkes County
- Zimmerman ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Zimmerman is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
- Yadkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Windsors Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Windsors Crossroads is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsors Crossroads
- Footville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Footville is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bells Crossroads, see our County-by-County Page for Bells Crossroads.
Cemeteries Near Bells Crossroads ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bells Crossroads.
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 Bells Crossroads - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bells Crossroads covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- St. Michaels Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Troutman Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- St. Martins Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Iredell Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Willow Valley Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Green Acres Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Concord Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Glenwood Memorial Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rockwell Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Williamson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Caldwell Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Continue List (153 more) ...
- Belmont Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Fourth Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<4>
While we didn't find Bells Crossroads in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bells Crossroads.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bells Crossroads, with the one closest to Bells Crossroads listed first.
- Doolie
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Doolie is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolie
- Shepherds
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Shepherds is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherds
- Troutman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Shinnville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Shinnville is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shinnville
- Barium Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Barium Springs is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barium Springs
- Monbo
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Monbo is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monbo
- Mayhew
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mayhew is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
- Mooresville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Mourne
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Mount Mourne is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Mourne
- Statesville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Watts ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Watts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watts
- Mount Ulla
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Elmwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Elmwood is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
- River View ‑ Historic
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- River View is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
- Bear Poplar
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Bear Poplar is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Poplar
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bells Crossroads. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bells Crossroads.
Newspapers Published in Bells Crossroads ...
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 39 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bells Crossroads.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bells Crossroads, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bells Crossroads.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Bells Crossroads:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Iredell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Burke County
- Cabarrus County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Davidson County
- Davie County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- Mecklenburg County
- Rowan County
- Wilkes County
- Yadkin County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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 Bells Crossroads, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <5> | 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 from Point A (ie- Bells Crossroads) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |