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Home >> State of North Carolina >> Wilkes County >> Brier Creek >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Brier Creek. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Brier Creek to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Brier Creek, please Contact Us.


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 Brier Creek (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 Brier Creek. 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 Brier Creek ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Brier Creek: Brier Crk. (or less commonly used: Brier Ck. or Brier Cr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Brier Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Brier Creek.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Brier Creek is historic, it would have been located within present day Wilkes 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 Wilkes County: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Iredell, Surry, Watauga & Yadkin.

Below are the counties that are near Brier Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Brier Creek:

  • Wilkes County     (The home county of Brier Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Roaring River
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • Roaring River is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roaring River
    • Ronda
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Clingman
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
    • Lomax
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
    • Pleasant Hill
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Hays
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Zimmerman ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Zimmerman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
    • New Castle ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • New Castle is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
    • Fletcher ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Fletcher is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
    • Henderson ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Henderson is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
    • Fairplains
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
    • North Wilkesboro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Wilkesboro
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Vashti
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Vashti is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
    • Rocky Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
    • Hiddenite
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Midway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Midway is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Taylorsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
    • Stony Point
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Stony Point is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Liledoun
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Liledoun is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
    • Ellendale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellendale is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
    • Isenhour Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
    • Millersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Millersville is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Little River
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Little River is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
    • Taylorsville Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
  • Alleghany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Roaring Gap
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Glade Valley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hooker
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Hooker is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
    • Laurel Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Sparta
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Sparta is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,723 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sparta <2>
    • Ennice
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Edmonds
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
    • Amelia
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Amelia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
    • Scottville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Topia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Topia is located in Alleghany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
    • Piney Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ashe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Transou
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Transou is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
    • Glendale Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Obids
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Obids is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
    • Wagoner
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Wagoner is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
    • Yates
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Yates is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
    • Orion
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Orion is located in Ashe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
    • Fleetwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Crumpler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jefferson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • West Jefferson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Kings Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
    • Draco
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Draco is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
    • Cilley ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Cilley is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
    • Downsville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Downsville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Cedar Rock
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
  • Catawba County
    • Sunrise Beach
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Sunrise Beach is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Calahaln
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Calahaln is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calahaln
    • Pino
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Pino is located in Davie County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pino
  • Iredell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • New Hope ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • New Hope is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
    • Union Grove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Love Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Houstonville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Houstonville is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonville
    • Olin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Olin is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
    • Harmony
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Turnersburg
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Turnersburg is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersburg
    • Brevard ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Brevard is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
    • Scotts
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Scotts is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
    • Cool Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cool Springs is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cool Springs
    • Statesville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Belmont
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Belmont is located in Iredell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
  • Rowan County
    • Pittsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Pittsburg is located in Rowan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
  • Surry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Elkin Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
    • Elkin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • State Road
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Thurmond
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Mountain Park
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mountain Park is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
    • Mulberry
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mulberry is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
    • Rusk ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Rusk is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
    • Zephyr
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Zephyr is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
    • Devotion
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Devotion is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
    • Fairview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Fairview is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Stony Knoll
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Stony Knoll is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Knoll
    • Rockford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Rockford is located in Surry County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockford
    • Dobson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Watauga County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Stony Fork
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
    • Deep Gap
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Laxon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Laxon is located in Watauga County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
  • Yadkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Swan Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
    • Arlington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Arlington is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Jonesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Cycle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cycle is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
    • Rena
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Rena is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
    • Marler
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Marler is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marler
    • Windsors Crossroads
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Windsors Crossroads is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsors Crossroads
    • Hamptonville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Branon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Branon is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
    • Boonville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Footville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Footville is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Footville
    • Nebo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Nebo is located in Yadkin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nebo
    • Yadkinville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Carroll County (VA)
    • Lambsburg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Grayson County (VA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.
    • Low Gap
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
    • Baywood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
    • Independence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Brier Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Brier Creek.

Cemeteries Near Brier Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Brier Creek.

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 Brier Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Brier Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.

  • Old Brier Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Long Bottom Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Sinai Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Hunting Creek Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Swan Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Cherry Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Jonesville Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Mountlawn Memorial Park
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Mountain Park Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (221 more) ...
    • Mountain Grove Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Arlington Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Knobs 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.

Brier Creek itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a post office and no railroad service.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Brier Creek, with the one closest to Brier Creek listed first.

  • Dellaplane
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Dellaplane is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellaplane
  • Ronda
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Clingman
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Clingman is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clingman
  • Hunting Creek ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hunting Creek is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunting Creek
  • Zimmerman ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Zimmerman is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
  • Lomax
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Lomax is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lomax
  • New Castle ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • New Castle is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
  • Swan Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
  • Lovelace ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lovelace is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelace
  • Benham
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Benham is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benham
  • Fairplains
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
  • Wilkesboro
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Osbornville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Osbornville is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osbornville
    • Jonesville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Elkin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Brier Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Brier Creek.

Newspapers Published in Brier Creek ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Brier Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Brier Creek, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Brier Creek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Brier Creek:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Brier Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>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- Brier Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.