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 Enka (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 Enka. 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 and doctors 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.
Enka is located in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County: Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Rutherford, Transylvania & Yancey.
Below are the counties that are near Enka. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Enka:
- Buncombe County (The home county of Enka)
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Enka Village
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Enka Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enka Village
- Acton
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Acton is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
- Candler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Bent Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bent Creek is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
- Emma
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emma is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emma
- West Asheville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Asheville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Asheville
- Newfound
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Newfound is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfound
- Glady
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Glady is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glady
- Biltmore Forest
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
- Shiloh
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Asheville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Avery Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Avery Creek is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery Creek
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Morning Star
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Morning Star is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
- Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- West Canton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- West Canton is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
- Cruso
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cruso is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
- Sonoma ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sonoma is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
- Bethel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Bethel is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Clyde
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Lavinia ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lavinia is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavinia
- Lake Junaluska
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Waynesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Hazelwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Teague ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Teague is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Fletcher
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mills River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Naples
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Naples is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
- Holly Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Horse Shoe
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Mountain Home
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Etowah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Gerton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Balfour
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Balfour is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
- Cumberland Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Cumberland Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Pinehurst
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Pinehurst is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Sky Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sky Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sky Village
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Balsam
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Ruby City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Ruby City is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby City
- Argura
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Argura is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argura
- Addie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Addie is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addie
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Rollins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Rollins is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Marshall
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Petersburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Petersburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Trust
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Trust is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Ivy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ivy is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
- Mars Hill
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Spring Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Walnut
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Walnut is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Lynch ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Lynch is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynch
- Stackhouse
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Stackhouse is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stackhouse
- Bluff
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Bluff is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- Bethel
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Dendron
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Moffitt Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Old Fort
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Lackey Town
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Greenlee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Polk County
- Melrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- 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
- Chimney Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lake Lure
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Penrose
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Pisgah Forest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Seven Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Brevard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Balsam Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cedar Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- East Fork
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- East Fork is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Rosman
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Yancey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Murchison
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Murchison is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
- Pensacola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Concord
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Concord is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Low Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Low Gap is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Caesars Head
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Caesars Head is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caesars Head
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- Cocke County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Tom Town
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Tom Town is located in Cocke County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tom Town
- Nough
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Nough is located in Cocke County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nough
- Wolf Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wolf Creek is located in Cocke County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Enka, see our County-by-County Page for Enka.
Cemeteries Near Enka ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Enka.
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 Enka - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Enka covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Forest Lawn Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Harkins Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Acton UMC Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Luther Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Old Academy Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hice Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Justice Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Pisgah View Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah View Memorial Park
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Pisgah View Memorial Park is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Candler.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #48445 <2>
- Gudger Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brooks Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rich Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (466 more) ...
- Green Hills Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Violet Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Smith Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
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>
While we didn't find Enka in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Enka.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Enka, with the one closest to Enka listed first.
- Acton
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Acton is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
- Candler
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Sulphur Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Luther
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Luther is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luther
- West Asheville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- West Asheville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Asheville
- Emma
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Emma is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emma
- Glady
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Glady is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glady
- Murphy Junction
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Murphy Junction is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy Junction
- Newfound
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Newfound is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfound
- Buena Vista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Buena Vista is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Biltmore
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Biltmore is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore
- Asheville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Juno
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Juno is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
- Turnpike
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Turnpike is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnpike
- Leicester
(7 miles [11.3 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 Enka. See our List of 1890's Communities around Enka.
Newspapers Published in Enka ...
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 88 newspapers that have been published in the area around Enka.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Enka, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Enka.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Enka:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Buncombe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Jackson County
- Madison County
- McDowell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Transylvania County
- Yancey County
- Greenville County
- Cocke 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 Enka, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Enka) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |