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 Fort Defiance (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 Fort Defiance. 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 Fort Defiance ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Fort Defiance: Ft. Defiance
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Fort Defiance. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Fort Defiance.
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.
Fort Defiance is located in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County: Alexander, Burke, Catawba, Watauga & Wilkes.
Below are the counties that are near Fort Defiance. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Fort Defiance:
- Caldwell County (The home county of Fort Defiance)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Patterson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Kings Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Cedar Rock
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- 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
- Lenoir
(7 miles [11.3 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>
- Draco
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Mulberry
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Rufus
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Abingdon
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Cajah's Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- 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
- Collettsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Ellendale
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Little River
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Bethlehem
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Liledoun
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Taylorsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Isenhour Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Millersville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Taylorsville Beach
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Vashti
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Midway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Rocky Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Fairview Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Alleghany County
- Laurel Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Brownwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Yates
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Fleetwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Todd
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Obids
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Glendale Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Orion
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- West Jefferson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Jefferson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wagoner
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Transou
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Creston
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Seven Devils
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Grandfather
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Grandfather is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Linville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain
(21 miles [33.8 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
- Montezuma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Pineola
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Banner Elk
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Crossnore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Newland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Beech Mountain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Linville Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Pleasant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Chesterfield
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Rhodhiss
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Drexel
(18 miles [29 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
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Connelly Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Valdese
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Icard
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hildebran
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Morganton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jonas Ridge
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Calvin
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Magnolia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- North Hickory
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Viewmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Long View
(21 miles [33.8 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
- Hickory
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,473 people
- Saint Stephens
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Sweetwater
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Brookford
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Brookford is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
- Advent Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Advent Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advent Crossroads
- Meadow Brook Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
- Mountain View
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Fairbrook
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fairbrook is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Fairgrove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fairgrove is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairgrove
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Love Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Scotts
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Scotts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- 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
- McDowell County
- Ashford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Ashford is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Mitchell County
- Altapass
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Altapass is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altapass
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Stony Fork
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Bamboo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Deep Gap
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Laxon
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Rutherwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Boone
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shulls Mill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Foscoe
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Sands
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Norris ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Valle Crucis
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Ferguson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Maple Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Boomer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Mount Pleasant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Purlear
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Adley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Moravian Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Millers Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Cricket
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Wilbar
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Trade
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Norris
(29 miles [46.7 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
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Fort Defiance, see our County-by-County Page for Fort Defiance.
Cemeteries Near Fort Defiance ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fort Defiance.
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 Fort Defiance - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Fort Defiance covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Laytown Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Blue Ridge Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Kings Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Sherrill Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Clark Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Bellview Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellview Cemetery
- The Bellview Cemetery has also been known as:
- Belleview Cemetery
- Lenoir City Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2266776 <3>
- Harpertown Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Greene Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Edmisten Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mulberry Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Rufus Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Continue List (276 more) ...
- Mt. Hermon Methodist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Harrison Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bolick Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
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>
While we didn't find Fort Defiance in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Fort Defiance.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Fort Defiance, with the one closest to Fort Defiance listed first.
- Yadkin Valley
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Yadkin Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkin Valley
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Patterson
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Buffalo Cove
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Buffalo Cove is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Cove
- Kings Creek
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Hibriten ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Hibriten is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hibriten
- Elkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elkville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkville
- Darby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Darby is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darby
- Lenoir
(7 miles [11.3 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>
- Draco
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Cedar Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Penley ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Penley is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penley
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Mount Zion
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mount Zion is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Fort Defiance. See our List of 1890's Communities around Fort Defiance.
Newspapers Published in Fort Defiance ...
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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fort Defiance.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fort Defiance, 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 Fort Defiance.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Fort Defiance:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Caldwell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Catawba County
- Iredell County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Watauga County
- Wilkes 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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Fort Defiance) 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 Fort Defiance, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |