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 Bethlehem (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 Bethlehem. 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 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.
Bethlehem is located in Alexander 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 Alexander County: Caldwell, Catawba, Iredell, Wilkes & Yadkin.
Below are the counties that are near Bethlehem. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Bethlehem:
- Alexander County (The home county of Bethlehem)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Little River
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Taylorsville Beach
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Millersville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Ellendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Isenhour Park
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Liledoun
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Taylorsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Fairview Park
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Midway
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Hiddenite
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stony Point
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Stony Point is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Rocky Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Vashti
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Rhodhiss
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Hildebran
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Icard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Connelly Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Rutherford College
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Valdese
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Drexel
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Chesterfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Shoups Ford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
- Yellow Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Camp Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Enola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Magnolia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Concord ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Concord is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Northlakes
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
- Granite Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Draco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Sawmills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Hudson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hudson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,703 people
- Former name for Hudson:
- Hudsonville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
- Cedar Rock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Rock is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- Cedar Rock has also been known as:
- Cedar Rock village
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Kings Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Baton
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Baton is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton
- Cajah's Mountain
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Cajah's Mountain is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cajah's Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,728 people
- Lenoir
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Lenoir is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenoir
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,911 people
- Former name for Lenoir:
- Tucker's Barn
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenoir <1>
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- North Hickory
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Saint Stephens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Viewmont
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Hickory
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,473 people
- Sweetwater
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Brookford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Brookford is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
- Fairbrook
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fairbrook is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Fairgrove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fairgrove is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairgrove
- Oxford Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
- Long View
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- Conover
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain View
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Catfish
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Catfish is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Toluca
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Toluca is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
- Olive Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
- Knob Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
- Belwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Belwood is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
- Casar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Fallston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Delight
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Delight is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Dellview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dellview is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
- Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
- High Shoals
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- High Shoals is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Shoals
- Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Scotts
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Scotts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Eufola
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Eufola is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eufola
- Love Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Statesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- New Hope ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- New Hope is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Barium Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Barium Springs is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barium Springs
- Troutman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Belmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Belmont is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Ostwalt
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Ostwalt is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostwalt
- Olin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Olin is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
- Doolie
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Doolie is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolie
- Mayhew
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mayhew is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Henry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Henry is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Vale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Laurel Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Hulls Crossroads
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- Boger City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Lincolnton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Denver
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Crouse
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Iron Station
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- Machpelah
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Westport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Westport is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Mecklenburg County
- River View ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- River View is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Stony Fork
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Bamboo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Boomer
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Ferguson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Moravian Falls
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Adley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Mount Pleasant
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Wilkesboro
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Cricket
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Maple Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Purlear
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Fletcher ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Fletcher is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Zimmerman ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Zimmerman is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Bethlehem, see our County-by-County Page for Bethlehem.
Cemeteries Near Bethlehem ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
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 Bethlehem - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethlehem covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Shiloh Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh Cemetery
- The Shiloh Cemetery has also been known as:
- Shiloh Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2202849 <2>
- Pisgah Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Moore Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- New Vision Baptist Fellowship Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rocky Mount Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bentley Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Friendship Lutheran Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- St. Lukes Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Temple Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Old Robinson Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Continue List (133 more) ...
- Oxford Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pinecrest Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Winklers Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
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 Bethlehem in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethlehem.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Bethlehem, with the one closest to Bethlehem listed first.
- Petra Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Petra Mills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petra Mills
- Little River
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Hickory
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,473 people
- Granite Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ellendale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Penelope
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Penelope is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penelope
- Cedar Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
- Conover
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Draco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Taylorsville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sawmills
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hudson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hudson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,703 people
- Former name for Hudson:
- Hudsonville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
- Catfish
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Catfish is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Connelly Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Bethlehem. See our List of 1890's Communities around Bethlehem.
Newspapers Published in Bethlehem ...
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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethlehem.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethlehem, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethlehem.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Bethlehem:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Alexander County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Cleveland County
- Gaston County
- Iredell County
- Lincoln County
- Mecklenburg County
- Watauga County
- Wilkes County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
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> | 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. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- Bethlehem) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Bethlehem, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |