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 (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. 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 ...
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: Blue Rdg. (or less commonly used: Blue Rdge. or Blue Ridg.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Blue Ridge. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Blue Ridge.
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 southwest 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 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 west 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.
Blue Ridge is located in Henderson 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 Henderson County: Buncombe, Haywood, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania & Greenville (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Blue Ridge. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Blue Ridge:
- Henderson County (The home county of Blue Ridge)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Dana
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Baxter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Upward
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Upward is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- U-No
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- U-No is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- Carolina Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
- Barker Heights
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- East Flat Rock
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Cumberland Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Cumberland Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Hendersonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pinehurst
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Pinehurst is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Willow Bend
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Willow Bend is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Bend
- Balfour
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Balfour is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
- Claremont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Fairview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Arden
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Pines
- Busbee
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Busbee is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
- Skyland
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Avery Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Avery Creek is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery Creek
- Biltmore Forest
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
- Shiloh
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Shiloh is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Azalea
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Swannanoa Hills
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Swannanoa Hills is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swannanoa Hills
- Swannanoa
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Bent Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bent Creek is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
- Sayles Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sayles Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayles Village
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Cruso
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Cruso is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
- Morning Star
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Morning Star is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
- Canton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- West Canton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- West Canton is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
- Sonoma ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sonoma is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Moffitt Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Dendron
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Lackey Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Old Fort
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Sugar Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Greenlee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Providence
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Vein Mountain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Glenwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- West Marion
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Marion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Melrose
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Mill Spring
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Columbus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Chimney Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- Lake Lure
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Green Hill
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Whitehouse
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Whitehouse is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Rutherfordton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ruth
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Shiloh
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Spindale
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Thermal City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
- Union Mills
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Penrose
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Seven Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Pisgah Forest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Cedar Mountain
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brevard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- East Fork
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Fork is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Rosman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Balsam Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- Highland
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Gowensville
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Tigerville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Cleveland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Caesars Head
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Caesars Head is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caesars Head
- Slater
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marietta
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- O'Neal
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Travelers Rest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Chick Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Greer
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Greer is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35,316 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greer <1>
- Taylors
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Pickens County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Knob ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Knob is located in Pickens County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
- Dacusville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Landrum
(15 miles [24.1 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>
- Campobello
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Gramling
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fingerville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Inman Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Inman
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Inman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <1>
- Brooklyn
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Boiling Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Duncan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Duncan is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duncan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,715 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duncan <1>
- Lyman
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Lyman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyman <1>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Blue Ridge, see our County-by-County Page for Blue Ridge.
Cemeteries Near Blue Ridge ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Blue Ridge.
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 - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Blue Ridge covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Stepp Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jones Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Jones Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pittillo Lanning Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Edneyville Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fruitland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Seagle Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Love Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Oakdale Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Bradley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Jones - Price Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (313 more) ...
- Bradley Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Patty Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Oakdale Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
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.<3>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Blue Ridge had a population of 99 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Blue Ridge, with the one closest to Blue Ridge listed first.
- Baxter
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Upward
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Upward is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- Fruitland
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Fruitland is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fruitland
- Hendersonville
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Flat Rock
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Saluda
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Zirconia
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Chimney Rock
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bat Cave
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Bearwallow
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Melrose
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Fletcher
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Horse Shoe
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bowman Bluff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Bowman Bluff is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowman Bluff
- Fairview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Blue Ridge. See our List of 1890's Communities around Blue Ridge.
Newspapers Published in Blue Ridge ...
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 26 newspapers that have been published in the area around Blue Ridge.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Blue Ridge, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Blue Ridge.
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 either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.
To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Blue Ridge:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Henderson County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buncombe County
- Haywood County
- McDowell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Transylvania County
- Greenville County
- Pickens 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> | 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, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Blue Ridge) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |