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 Blue Ridge Forest (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 Blue Ridge Forest. 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 Blue Ridge Forest ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Blue Ridge Forest: Blue Rdg. Frst. (or less commonly used: Blue Rdge. Frst. or Blue Ridg. Frst.)
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.
Blue Ridge Forest is located in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County: Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Rutherford, Transylvania & Yancey.
Below are the counties that are near Blue Ridge Forest. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blue Ridge Forest:
- Buncombe County (The home county of Blue Ridge Forest)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Fairview
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Swannanoa
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Wilson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Azalea
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Swannanoa Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Swannanoa Hills is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swannanoa Hills
- Black Mountain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Riceville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Busbee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Busbee is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
- Redwood Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Redwood Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Village
- Sayles Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Sayles Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayles Village
- Arden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Biltmore Forest
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Morning Star
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Morning Star is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
- Canton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cruso
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cruso is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
- West Canton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Canton is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
- Sonoma ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Sonoma is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
- Bethel
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bethel is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Clyde
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Gerton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bearwallow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Bat Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Fletcher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- U-No
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- U-No is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- Naples
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Naples is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
- Cumberland Village
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Mountain Home
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Balfour
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Balfour is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
- Carolina Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
- Dana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Mills River
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Ivy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Ivy is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
- Mars Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Petersburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Petersburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Rollins
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rollins is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Bethel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Marshall
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Foster Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Foster Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Creek
- Walnut
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Trust
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Trust is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Dendron
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Moffitt Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Old Fort
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lackey Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Greenlee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Providence
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Sugar Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- West Marion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Glenwood
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Vein Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Marion
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Little Switzerland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Penland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Mill Spring
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Columbus
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Village of Chimney Rock Village is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Chimney Rock Village
- Estimated population in 2015: 108 people
- Chimney Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Lure
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Whitehouse
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Whitehouse is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Green Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Thermal City
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
- Union Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rutherfordton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ruth
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Penrose
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Pisgah Forest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Brevard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Yancey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Murchison
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Murchison is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
- Pensacola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Hamrick
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hamrick is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamrick
- Concord
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Low Gap
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Low Gap is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Celo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Celo is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celo
- Burnsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Micaville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Newdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Newdale is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newdale
- Higgins
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Higgins is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins
- Day Book
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Day Book is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Book
- Double Island
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Double Island is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Island
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- Gowensville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- Landrum
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blue Ridge Forest, see our County-by-County Page for Blue Ridge Forest.
Cemeteries Near Blue Ridge Forest ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Ridge Forest.
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 Blue Ridge Forest - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blue Ridge Forest covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Cane Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Creek Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Cane Creek Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Fairview.
- The Cane Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fairview Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #47042 <2>
- Patton Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Williams Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Connor Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- West Chapel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Sunset Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Hunter Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Ridgecrest Memorial Park
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hughey Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughey Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hughey Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<3> to the northeast of Asheville.
- The Hughey Cemetery has also been known as:
- Huey Cemetery
- Hughey / Rice Cemetery
- Rice / Hughey Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #47729 <2>
- Calvary Churchyard Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (442 more) ...
- Edneyville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the northeast of Bat Cave.
- Patty's Chapel Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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 Blue Ridge Forest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Blue Ridge Forest.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blue Ridge Forest, with the one closest to Blue Ridge Forest listed first.
- Fairview
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Swannanoa
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Azalea
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Bearwallow
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Black Mountain
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Busbee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Busbee is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
- Riceville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Skyland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Arden
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bat Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Biltmore
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Biltmore is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore
- Buena Vista
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Buena Vista is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Fletcher
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Fruitland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Fruitland is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
- Chimney Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blue Ridge Forest. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blue Ridge Forest.
Newspapers Published in Blue Ridge Forest ...
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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Ridge Forest.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blue Ridge Forest, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blue Ridge Forest.
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 Blue Ridge Forest:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Buncombe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Madison County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Transylvania County
- Yancey County
- Greenville County
- Spartanburg 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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Blue Ridge Forest) 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 Blue Ridge Forest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |