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 Hays Arbor (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 Hays Arbor. 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 Hays Arbor ...
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.
While the name of this community is Hays Arbor, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Hays Arbor may originally have been Hay's Arbor.
Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Hays Arbor might be written as Hay Arbor.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.
Hays Arbor is located in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Iredell, Surry, Watauga & Yadkin.
Below are the counties that are near Hays Arbor. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Hays Arbor:
- Wilkes County (The home county of Hays Arbor)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Millers Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Purlear
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Cricket
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Wilbar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Adley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Mount Pleasant
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Fairplains
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
- Mulberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Wilkesboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Henderson ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Henderson is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henderson
- Maple Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Vashti
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Ellendale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Taylorsville
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Rocky Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Liledoun
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Little River
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Midway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Hiddenite
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Isenhour Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Millersville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Bethlehem
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Scottville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Roaring Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Glade Valley
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Sparta
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Topia
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Amelia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Piney Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hooker
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hooker is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Ennice
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Obids
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Glendale Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Yates
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Transou
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Fleetwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wagoner
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Orion
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Brownwood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- West Jefferson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Todd
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Crumpler
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Burke County
- Rhodhiss
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Kings Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Draco
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Cedar Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- 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
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Patterson
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Blowing Rock
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lenoir
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- 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 <2>
- Mulberry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Rufus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Abingdon
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- North Hickory
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Oxford Park
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
- Saint Stephens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Catfish
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Catfish is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Sunrise Beach
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sunrise Beach is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach
- Viewmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Love Valley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Union Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Scotts
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Scotts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Olin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Olin is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
- Houstonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Houstonville is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonville
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Thurmond
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Elkin Valley
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
- Elkin
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- State Road
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Devotion
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Devotion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
- Mountain Park
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Park is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
- Mulberry
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Mulberry is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Zephyr
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Zephyr is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
- Rusk ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rusk is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Stony Fork
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Deep Gap
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Laxon
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Bamboo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Rutherwood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Moretz
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Sands
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Boone
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Norris ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Shulls Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Foscoe
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Vilas
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Yadkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Swan Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
- Arlington
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Arlington is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Cycle
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Cycle is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
- Jonesville
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Marler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Marler is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marler
- Rena
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rena is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
- Windsors Crossroads
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Windsors Crossroads is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsors Crossroads
- Hamptonville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Branon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Branon is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Branon
- Boonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Johnson County (TN)
- Trade
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Grayson County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bridle Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Hays Arbor, see our County-by-County Page for Hays Arbor.
Cemeteries Near Hays Arbor ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hays Arbor.
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 Hays Arbor - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Hays Arbor covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Union Tarheel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Mountlawn Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mountain Park Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Wilkesboro.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #48172 <3>
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Burke Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Taylor Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Roberts Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Sherrill Hill Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lebanon Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cherry Grove Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Laytown Baptist Church Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Old Bethany Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (316 more) ...
- Hunting Creek Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Sinai Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Long Bottom Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
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>
While we didn't find Hays Arbor in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Hays Arbor.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Hays Arbor, with the one closest to Hays Arbor listed first.
- Millers Creek
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Purlear
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Cricket
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Adley
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Wilbar
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Wilkesboro
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairplains
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
- Mulberry
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Ready Branch
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Ready Branch is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ready Branch
- Parsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Parsonville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsonville
- Maple Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Moravian Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Hay Meadow ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Hay Meadow is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hay Meadow
- Halls Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Halls Mills is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Mills
- Boomer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Hays Arbor. See our List of 1890's Communities around Hays Arbor.
Newspapers Published in Hays Arbor ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hays Arbor.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hays Arbor, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hays Arbor.
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 Hays Arbor:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wilkes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Iredell County
- Surry County
- Watauga County
- Yadkin County
- Johnson County
- Grayson County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
Footnotes ...
| <1> | It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties). |
| <2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <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> | 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- Hays Arbor) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Hays Arbor, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |