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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 Catawba (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 Catawba. 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 hospitals 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.

Catawba is located in Catawba 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 Catawba County: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Iredell & Lincoln.

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

  • Catawba County     (The home county of Catawba)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Murrays Hill
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Murrays Hill is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murrays Hill
    • Sunrise Beach
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Sunrise Beach is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach
    • Catfish
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Bandy
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Witherspoon Crossroad
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Claremont
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Long Island
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Long Island is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Island
    • Oxford Park
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
    • Drums Crossroads
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Drums Crossroads is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drums Crossroads
    • Monbo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Monbo is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monbo
    • Sherrills Ford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Conover
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Stony Point
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Millersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Millersville is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
    • Taylorsville Beach
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
    • Fairview Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
    • Isenhour Park
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
    • Hiddenite
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Midway
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Midway is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Taylorsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Bethlehem
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Liledoun
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Liledoun is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
    • Rocky Springs
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
    • Ellendale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
  • Burke County
  • Cabarrus County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Tulin ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Tulin is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulin
    • Cannon Crossroads
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fisher Town
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Fisher Town is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher Town
    • Poplar Tent
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Poplar Tent is located in Cabarrus County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Tent
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Concord ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Concord is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Northlakes
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
    • Downsville ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Downsville is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Granite Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Draco
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Sawmills
      (23 miles [37 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
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Cedar Rock
      (26 miles [41.8 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
    • Kings Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Baton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Emanuel ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
    • Cajah's Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 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
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Toluca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Toluca is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
    • Belwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Belwood is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
    • Knob Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Fallston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Olive Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
  • Davie County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Calahaln
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Cooleemee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Gaston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Alexis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • High Shoals
      (22 miles [35.4 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
    • Lucia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Stanley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Woodland ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Woodland is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
    • Dallas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Mount Holly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Spencer Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Spencer Mountain is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Mountain
      • Estimated population in 2016: 36 people
    • Cherryville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Tryon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Ranlo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Dellview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Dellview is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
  • Iredell County
  • Lincoln County
  • Mecklenburg County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • River View ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • River View is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River View
    • Cornelius
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Davidson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Huntersville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Croft
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Spring Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Spring Lake is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
    • Chateau Woods
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Paw Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Paw Creek is located in Mecklenburg County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Creek
  • Rowan County
  • Wilkes County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Catawba, with the one closest to Catawba listed first.
    • Boomer
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Boomer is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
    • Zimmerman ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Zimmerman is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zimmerman
    • Moravian Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • New Castle ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • New Castle is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Castle
    • Adley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Stokes ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Stokes is located in Wilkes County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
    • Wilkesboro
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Ferguson
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Yadkin County

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

Cemeteries Near Catawba ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Catawba.

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 Catawba - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Catawba had a population of 196 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Catawba had a population of 627 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Catawba ...

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 Catawba.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Catawba. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Catawba and those printed in the larger area surrounding Catawba.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4> of Catawba.

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 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 Catawba:

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 Catawba, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Catawba) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.