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 Garden Creek (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 Garden Creek. 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 Garden Creek ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
Another variation: Gardencreek.
- A typical abbreviation for Garden Creek: Garden Crk. (or less commonly used: Garden Ck. or Garden Cr.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Garden Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Garden Creek.
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 northwest 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 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.
Garden Creek is located in McDowell 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 McDowell County: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Mitchell, Rutherford & Yancey.
Below are the counties that are near Garden Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Garden Creek:
- McDowell County (The home county of Garden Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Marion
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- West Marion
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Providence
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Nebo
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Greenlee
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Glenwood
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Sugar Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Lackey Town
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Old Fort
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Patten
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Patten is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
- Little Switzerland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Moffitt Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Linville Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Stamey Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Stamey Town is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamey Town
- Crossnore
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Plumtree
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Pineola
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Chestnut Dale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Chestnut Dale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chestnut Dale
- Montezuma
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Linville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Minneapolis
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Minneapolis is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
- Newland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Vale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Vale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Ridgecrest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Montreat
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Black Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Walkertown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Walkertown is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
- Swannanoa
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rockview
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Rockview is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockview
- Wilson
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Wilson is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Fairview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Barnardsville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Beech
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Riceville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Azalea
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Linville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Linville is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
- Parkhill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Parkhill is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkhill
- Brindletown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Glen Alpine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rollins ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Rollins is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Calvin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Magnolia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Morganton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Salem
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Salem is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Jonas Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Enola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Yellow Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Muttenz ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
- Adako
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Adako is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adako
- Mortimer ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Mortimer is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
- Collettsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gamewell
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Gamewell is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,993 people
- Pinehurst
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pinehurst is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Abingdon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Baton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Baton is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton
- Cajah's Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- 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
- Rufus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Casar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Delight
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Delight is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
- Olive Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
- New House
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- New House is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Polkville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Knob Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Bat Cave
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bearwallow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Gerton
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Bethel
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Ivy
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Ivy is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
- Mars Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Altapass
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Altapass is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altapass
- Spruce Pine
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Penland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Bakersville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Red Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Red Hill is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
- Herrell ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Herrell is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
- Tipton Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tipton Hill is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton Hill
- Huntdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Huntdale is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntdale
- Relief
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Relief is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relief
- Bailey
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Bailey is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Polk County
- Mill Spring
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Whitehouse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Whitehouse is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Thermal City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Union Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Green Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Lake Lure
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sunshine
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- 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
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Ruth
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Yancey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Hamrick
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hamrick is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamrick
- Celo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Celo is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celo
- Newdale
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Newdale is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newdale
- Micaville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Murchison
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Murchison is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
- Low Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Low Gap is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Pensacola
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Double Island
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Double Island is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Island
- Burnsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Concord
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Concord is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Day Book
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Day Book is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Book
- Green Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Carter County (TN)
- Burbank
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Burbank is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Garden Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Garden Creek.
Cemeteries Near Garden Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Garden Creek.
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 Garden Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Garden Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- West Court Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hall Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Barnes Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Liberty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- McDowell Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Green Mtn. Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Glades Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Hoover Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Zion Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Ridgway Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Nebo Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (404 more) ...
- Siloam Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Neal Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Washburn Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
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 Garden Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Garden Creek.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Garden Creek, with the one closest to Garden Creek listed first.
- Toms Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Toms Creek is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toms Creek
- Marion
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Greenlee
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Nebo
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Sugar Hill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Old Fort
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Bridgewater
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Bridgewater is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridgewater
- North Cove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- North Cove is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Cove
- Dendron
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Vein Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Dysartsville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Dysartsville is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dysartsville
- Ashford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ashford is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Celo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Celo is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celo
- Estatoe
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Estatoe is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estatoe
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Garden Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Garden Creek.
Newspapers Published in Garden Creek ...
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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Garden Creek.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Garden Creek, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Garden Creek.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Garden Creek:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to McDowell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Avery County
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Cleveland County
- Henderson County
- Madison County
- Mitchell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Yancey County
- Carter 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 Garden Creek, 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' (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- Garden Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |