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 Laurel Springs (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 Laurel Springs. 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 Laurel Springs ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Laurel Springs: Laurel Spgs. (or less commonly used: Laurel Spngs. or Laurel Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Laurel Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Laurel Springs.
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 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.
Laurel Springs is located in Alleghany 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 Alleghany County: Ashe, Surry, Wilkes & Grayson (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Laurel Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Laurel Springs:
- Alleghany County (The home county of Laurel Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Scottville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Topia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Amelia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Piney Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Sparta
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Glade Valley
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hooker
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Hooker is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hooker
- Roaring Gap
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Ennice
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Edmonds
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Edmonds is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edmonds
- Alexander County
- Vashti
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Transou
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Wagoner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Glendale Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Orion
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Crumpler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Obids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Weavers Ford
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Weavers Ford is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weavers Ford
- Jefferson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- West Jefferson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Grassy Creek
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Yates
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Helton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Helton is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Warrensville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Kings Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Blowing Rock
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Thurmond
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Devotion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Devotion is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Devotion
- Mountain Park
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mountain Park is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park
- State Road
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Low Gap
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Elkin Valley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
- Zephyr
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Zephyr is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zephyr
- Elkin
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Mulberry
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Mulberry is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Round Peak
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Round Peak is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Peak
- Rusk ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Rusk is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
- Dobson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Fairview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Fairview is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Stony Fork
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Deep Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Laxon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Moretz
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Rutherwood
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Norris ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Bamboo
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Sands
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Boone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zionville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mabel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Mabel is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
- Vilas
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Springfield ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- McGrady
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- McGrady is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGrady
- Abshers
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Abshers is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abshers
- Dehart
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Dehart is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dehart
- Moxley
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Moxley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moxley
- Wilbar
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Mulberry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Traphill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hays
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Zebra ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Zebra is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zebra
- Millers Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Purlear
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Fairplains
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairplains is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairplains
- Yadkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Jonesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Arlington
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Arlington is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Swan Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
- Rena
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Rena is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
- Cycle
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cycle is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Trade
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Mountain City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Shingletown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Carroll County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Pipers Gap
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Pipers Gap is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipers Gap
- Drenn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Drenn is located in Carroll County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drenn
- Lambsburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Galax City (VA)
- Galax
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Grayson County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Bridle Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bridle Creek is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bridle Creek
- Independence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Rugby
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Baywood
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Baywood is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baywood
- Flat Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Elk Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Low Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Low Gap is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Trout Dale
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitetop
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fries
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Smyth County (VA)
- Sugar Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Washington County (VA)
- Green Cove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Wythe County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Speedwell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Rowe Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Rowe Crossroads is located in Wythe County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe Crossroads
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Laurel Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Laurel Springs.
Cemeteries Near Laurel Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Laurel Springs.
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 Laurel Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Laurel Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Peak Creek Community Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peak Creek Community Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Peak Creek Community Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the northeast of Glendale Springs.
- The Peak Creek Community Cemetery has also been known as:
- Peak Creek Church of the Brethren Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2202515 <3>
- Cranberry Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranberry Cemetery
- The Cranberry Cemetery has also been known as:
- Cranberry Community Cemetery
- Cranberry Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2207025 <3>
- Stamper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Prathers Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Roberts Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Matt Carson Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Taylor Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rocky Ridge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Antioch Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (469 more) ...
- Burke Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Truitt Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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.<4>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Laurel Springs had a population of 21 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Laurel Springs, with the one closest to Laurel Springs listed first.
- Transou
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Ore Knob
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Ore Knob is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ore Knob
- Furches
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Furches is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furches
- Springfield ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Springfield is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Scottville
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Vannoy
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Vannoy is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vannoy
- Wagoner
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Topia
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Whitehead
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Whitehead is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehead
- Nathans Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nathans Creek is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathans Creek
- Halls Mills
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Halls Mills is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Mills
- Obids
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Amelia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Crumpler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Piney Creek
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Laurel Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Laurel Springs.
Newspapers Published in Laurel Springs ...
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 37 newspapers that have been published in the area around Laurel Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Laurel Springs, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Laurel Springs.
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 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 Laurel Springs:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Alleghany County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Ashe County
- Caldwell County
- Surry County
- Watauga County
- Wilkes County
- Yadkin County
- Johnson County
- Carroll County
- Galax City
- Grayson County
- Smyth County
- Washington County
- Wythe County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for North Carolina
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Laurel Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com. |
| <4> | We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Laurel Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |