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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 Ellijay (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 Ellijay. 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 doctors and 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.

Ellijay is located in Macon County.

To see how the shape of North Carolina's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Macon County: Rabun (GA), Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson & Swain.

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

  • Macon County     (The home county of Ellijay)
  • Cherokee County
  • Clay County
    • Elf
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elf. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elf
      • Elf is located in Clay County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elf
      • From Ellijay to Elf
  • Graham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay listed first.
    • Bear Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Stecoah
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stecoah. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stecoah
      • Stecoah is located in Graham County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Stecoah
      • From Ellijay to Stecoah
    • Cheoah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Haywood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay listed first.
    • Hazelwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazelwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
      • Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
    • Maggie Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maggie Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maggie Valley
      • Maggie Valley is located in Haywood County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,258 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maggie Valley <1>
    • Waynesville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethel
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bethel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
      • Bethel is located in Haywood County
    • Lake Junaluska
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Junaluska have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Junaluska
      • Lake Junaluska is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Junaluska <1>
    • Cruso
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cruso. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
      • Cruso is located in Haywood County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cruso
      • From Ellijay to Cruso
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay listed first.
    • Erastus
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Erastus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erastus
      • Erastus is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Erastus
      • From Ellijay to Erastus
    • Glenville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
      • Glenville is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenville <1>
    • Forest Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Greens Creek
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Cullowhee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Tuckasegee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuckasegee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckasegee
      • Tuckasegee is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tuckasegee <1>
    • East Laport
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Laport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
      • East Laport is located in Jackson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to East Laport
      • From Ellijay to East Laport
    • Highlands
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Webster
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
    • Cashiers
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Dillsboro
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillsboro have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillsboro
      • Dillsboro is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dillsboro <1>
    • Sylva
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Swain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay listed first.
    • Unahala
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Bryson City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bryson City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryson City
      • Bryson City is located in Swain County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bryson City <1>
    • Cherokee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Oconaluftee Indian Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oconaluftee Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oconaluftee Indian Village
      • Oconaluftee Indian Village is located in Swain County
    • Almond
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almond have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almond
      • Almond is located in Swain County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Almond <1>
    • Wesser
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Judson ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Judson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
      • Judson is located in Swain County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Judson
      • From Ellijay to Judson
    • Forney ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Forney. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
      • Forney is located in Swain County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Forney
      • From Ellijay to Forney
    • Nantahala
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Bushnell ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bushnell. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
      • Bushnell is located in Swain County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bushnell
      • From Ellijay to Bushnell
  • Transylvania County
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay listed first.
    • Sky Valley
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sky Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sky Valley
      • Sky Valley is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sky Valley <1>
    • Dillard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mountain City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain City
      • Mountain City is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain City <1>
    • Antioch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Clayton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Germany
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Germany. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germany
      • Germany is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Germany
      • From Ellijay to Germany
    • Tiger
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Wiley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
      • Wiley is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiley <1>
    • Lakemont
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Towns County (GA)
    • Tate City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tate City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tate City
      • Tate City is located in Towns County (GA)
  • Oconee County (SC)
  • Pickens County (SC)

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

Cemeteries Near Ellijay ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ellijay.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ellijay, with the one closest to Ellijay 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Ellijay had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Cullasaja
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cullasaja have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullasaja
    • Cullasaja is located in Macon County
  • Fallcliff
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fallcliff have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallcliff
    • Fallcliff is located in Jackson County
  • Franklin
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Glenville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
    • Glenville is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenville <1>
  • Leatherman
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Leatherman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherman
    • Leatherman is located in Macon County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Leatherman
    • From Ellijay to Leatherman
  • Tuckasegee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuckasegee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuckasegee
    • Tuckasegee is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tuckasegee <1>
  • Cullowhee
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Highlands
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Big Ridge
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Ridge
    • Big Ridge is located in Jackson County
  • East Laport
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for East Laport. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
    • East Laport is located in Jackson County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to East Laport
    • From Ellijay to East Laport
  • Otto
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Cashiers
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Cowarts
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowarts have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowarts
      • Cowarts is located in Jackson County
    • Webster
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Webster have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Webster is located in Jackson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
    • Scaly Mountain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Ellijay ...

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 Ellijay.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ellijay, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ellijay.

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 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 Ellijay:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ellijay. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Macon County: www.maconnc.org/

The official website for State of North Carolina: https://www.nc.gov/

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>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>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.
<5>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 Ellijay, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Ellijay) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ellijay. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 35.1929, Longitude: -83.2709       In this case, the coordinates for Ellijay have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025