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 Darby (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 Darby. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Darby is located in 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 Darby. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Darby:
- Wilkes County (The home county of Darby)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Ferguson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Maple Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Mount Pleasant
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Purlear
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Boomer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Wilbar
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Adley
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Millers Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Cricket
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Moravian Falls
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Ellendale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Little River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Liledoun
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Bethlehem
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Taylorsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vashti
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Isenhour Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Rocky Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Midway
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Millersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Taylorsville Beach
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Fairview Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Scottville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Topia
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Brownwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Yates
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Fleetwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Obids
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Todd
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Glendale Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- West Jefferson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Orion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Jefferson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wagoner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Creston
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Transou
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Seven Devils
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Grandfather
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Grandfather is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Sugar Mountain
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Banner Elk
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Linville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Beech Mountain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Montezuma
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Pineola
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Newland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Mount Gilead
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Gilead is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Crossnore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Vale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Vale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Chesterfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Rhodhiss
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Jonas Ridge
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Drexel
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Rutherford College
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Connelly Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Valdese
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Icard
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hildebran
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Morganton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Magnolia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Calvin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Patterson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Kings Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Mulberry
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Blowing Rock
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Rufus
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Cedar Rock
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- 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
- Draco
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Lenoir
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Abingdon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Collettsville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- North Hickory
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Viewmont
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Saint Stephens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Hickory
(28 miles [45.1 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
- Long View
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- Sweetwater
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Brookford
(30 miles [48.3 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
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Fairbrook is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Oxford Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Love Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- New Hope ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- New Hope is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- McDowell County
- Ashford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Ashford is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Stony Fork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Deep Gap
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Laxon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Bamboo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Rutherwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Boone
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Sands
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Norris ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Shulls Mill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Foscoe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Valle Crucis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Carter County (TN)
- Shell Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Shell Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 21,037 people
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Trade
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Norris
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Norris is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Mountain City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Darby, see our County-by-County Page for Darby.
Cemeteries Near Darby ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Darby.
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 Darby - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Darby covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Laytown Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sherrill Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Stony Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Laurel Fork Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Herman Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Harrison Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cook Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Moore Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Craig Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Bolick Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Greene Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (409 more) ...
- Greene Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Elrod Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Darby had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Darby, with the one closest to Darby listed first.
- Buffalo Cove
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Buffalo Cove is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Cove
- Mount Zion
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Zion is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Penley ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Penley is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penley
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Yadkin Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Yadkin Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkin Valley
- Elkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elkville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkville
- Triplett
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Triplett is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Stony Fork
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Ready Branch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Ready Branch is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ready Branch
- Maple Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Aho
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Aho is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aho
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Bamboo
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Patterson
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Parsonville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Parsonville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsonville
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Darby. See our List of 1890's Communities around Darby.
Newspapers Published in Darby ...
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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Darby.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Darby, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Darby.
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 Darby:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wilkes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Iredell County
- McDowell County
- Watauga County
- Carter County
- Johnson 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Darby) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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> | 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 Darby, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |