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 Graphite (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 Graphite. 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 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.
Graphite 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 Graphite. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Graphite:
- McDowell County (The home county of Graphite)
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Dendron
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Old Fort
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lackey Town
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Moffitt Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Greenlee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Providence
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- West Marion
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Sugar Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Marion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Glenwood
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Little Switzerland
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Vein Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Nebo
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Linville Falls
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Plumtree
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Stamey Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Stamey Town is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamey Town
- Crossnore
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Montreat
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Ridgecrest
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Black Mountain
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Walkertown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Walkertown is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
- Swannanoa
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Wilson is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Fairview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Beech
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Riceville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Barnardsville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rockview
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rockview is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockview
- Azalea
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Swannanoa Hills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Swannanoa Hills is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swannanoa Hills
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Linville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Linville is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
- Brindletown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Parkhill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Parkhill is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkhill
- Glen Alpine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rollins ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Rollins is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Calvin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Jonas Ridge
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Gerton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Bat Cave
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bearwallow
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Fletcher
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- U-No
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- U-No is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- Dana
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Naples
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Naples is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
- Baxter
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Balfour
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Balfour is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
- Carolina Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
- Cumberland Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cumberland Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Mountain Home
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pinehurst
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Pinehurst is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Ivy
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Ivy is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
- Bethel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Mars Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Petersburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Petersburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Rollins
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Rollins is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Marshall
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Foster Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Foster Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Creek
- Walnut
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Grassy Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Penland
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Altapass
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Altapass is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altapass
- Spruce Pine
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bakersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Huntdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Huntdale is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Huntdale
- Red Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Red Hill is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Tipton Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Tipton Hill is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tipton Hill
- Relief
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Relief is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Relief
- Bailey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bailey is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
- Herrell ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Herrell is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
- Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
- Richlands
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Richlands is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Mill Spring
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Columbus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Lynn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Melrose
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Whitehouse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Whitehouse is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- 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
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lake Lure
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Thermal City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
- Union Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Green Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Ruth
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Rutherfordton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Spindale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Yancey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Hamrick
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Hamrick is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamrick
- Murchison
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Murchison is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
- Celo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Celo is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celo
- Pensacola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Low Gap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Low Gap is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Concord
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Burnsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Micaville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Newdale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Newdale is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newdale
- Double Island
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Double Island is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Island
- Higgins
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Higgins is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins
- Day Book
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Day Book is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Book
- Green Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Unicoi County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Flag Pond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Flag Pond is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flag Pond
- Clear Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Clear Branch is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Former name for Clear Branch:
- Kittyton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Graphite, see our County-by-County Page for Graphite.
Cemeteries Near Graphite ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Graphite.
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 Graphite - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Graphite covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Ridgecrest Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pine Cove Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Siloam Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Davistown Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Gragg Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Crisawn Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Robinson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Patton Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Lee Fields Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Simmons Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery is located 4 miles [6.4 km]<3> to the northeast of Bat Cave.
- Continue List (477 more) ...
- Zion Hill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Glades Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Good Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 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.<4>
While we didn't find Graphite in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Graphite.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Graphite, with the one closest to Graphite listed first.
- Dendron
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Black Mountain
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Old Fort
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Greenlee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Swannanoa
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Dillingham
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dillingham is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillingham
- Fairview
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Toms Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Toms Creek is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toms Creek
- Beech
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Beech is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Riceville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Azalea
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Pensacola
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Marion
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Graphite. See our List of 1890's Communities around Graphite.
Newspapers Published in Graphite ...
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 93 newspapers that have been published in the area around Graphite.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Graphite, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Graphite.
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 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 Graphite:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to McDowell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Avery County
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Henderson County
- Madison County
- Mitchell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Yancey County
- Unicoi 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> | 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Graphite) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Graphite, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |