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Home >> State of North Carolina >> Polk County >> Kross Keys >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Kross Keys (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 Kross Keys. 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 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.

Kross Keys is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Henderson, Rutherford, Greenville (SC) & Spartanburg (SC).

Below are the counties that are near Kross Keys. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Kross Keys:

  • Polk County     (The home county of Kross Keys)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Mill Spring
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Columbus
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Lynn
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Lynn is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
    • Tryon
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Melrose
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Melrose is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
  • Buncombe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Fairview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Arden
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Mountain
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridgecrest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Royal Pines
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Royal Pines is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Pines
    • Busbee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Busbee is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
    • Skyland
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Cliffside
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Cliffside is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
    • Byersville ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Byersville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
    • Mooresboro
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
    • Boiling Springs
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Flint Hill ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
    • Lattimore
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
    • New House
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • New House is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
    • Erwinsville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
    • Kingstown
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
    • Sharon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Sharon is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
    • Campcall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Campcall is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
    • Polkville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Polkville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Brittain Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Saluda
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Baxter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Baxter is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
    • Upward
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Upward is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
    • Dana
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Dana is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
    • Bat Cave
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • East Flat Rock
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Tuxedo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Zirconia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Claremont
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Claremont is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
    • Flat Rock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Bearwallow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Barker Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
    • Carolina Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Vein Mountain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
    • Sugar Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
    • Glenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Glenwood is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Lackey Town
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
    • Moffitt Hill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
    • Providence
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Providence is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Mountain Home ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
    • Old Fort
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Greenlee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Greenlee is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
    • West Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • West Marion is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
    • Dendron
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Dendron is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
  • Rutherford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Holly Springs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Shiloh
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Harris
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Harris is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
    • Rutherfordton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Green Hill
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
    • Bakersville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bakersville is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
    • Ruth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ruth is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Spindale
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sandy Mush
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
    • Alexander Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
    • Forest City
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Henrietta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
    • Bostic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Cherokee County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Chesnee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Chesnee is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesnee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chesnee <1>
    • Macedonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
    • Gaffney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaffney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaffney <1>
    • East Gaffney
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
  • Greenville County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Gowensville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
    • Highland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • O'Neal
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • O'Neal is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
    • Merrittsville ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
    • Tigerville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Greer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Greer is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greer
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,316 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greer <1>
    • Chick Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Chick Springs is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
    • Taylors
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • East Gate Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • East Gate Village is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
    • Wade Hampton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
    • Pelham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Pelham is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
    • Cleveland
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Slater
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Spartanburg County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.
    • Fingerville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Landrum
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
    • Brooklyn
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Campobello
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Gramling
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Inman
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Inman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <1>
    • Inman Mills
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
    • Boiling Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Valley Falls
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Mayo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Southern Shops
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Arcadia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Fairforest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Kross Keys, see our County-by-County Page for Kross Keys.

Cemeteries Near Kross Keys ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kross Keys.

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 Kross Keys - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Kross Keys covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.

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 Kross Keys in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Kross Keys.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Kross Keys, with the one closest to Kross Keys listed first.

  • Collinsville
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Collinsville is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
  • Sandy Springs
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Sandy Springs is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
  • Columbus
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Landrum
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
  • New Prospect
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • New Prospect is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prospect
  • Fingerville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lynn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Lynn is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
  • Tryon
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Campobello
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Brooklyn
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
  • Poplar Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
  • Mack ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Mack is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Gowensville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
    • Rutherfordton
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Andover ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Andover is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Kross Keys. See our List of 1890's Communities around Kross Keys.

Newspapers Published in Kross Keys ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kross Keys.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Kross Keys, there are papers which were published within 13 miles [20.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Kross Keys.

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 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 Kross Keys:

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 Kross Keys, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Kross Keys) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.