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 Lenoir (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 Lenoir. 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 Lenoir ...
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.
Prior to its current name of Lenoir, it was known as Tucker's Barn.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Lenoir. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Lenoir.
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.
A Few Details for Lenoir ...
While it's still very early in our research, we found that:
- The naming (or the toponymy) of Lenoir: Named after William Lenoir (1751-1839), a captain in the American Revolutionary War who took part in the Battle of Kings Mountain.
- It was incorporated in 1851.
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.
Lenoir is located in Caldwell County and is the County Seat.
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 Caldwell County: Alexander, Burke, Catawba, Watauga & Wilkes.
Below are the counties that are near Lenoir. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Lenoir:
- Caldwell County (The home county of Lenoir)
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Abingdon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Cedar Rock
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- 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
- Cajah's Mountain
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- 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
- Gamewell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Hudson
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Pinehurst
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Pinehurst is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Patterson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Baton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sawmills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Collettsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Draco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Little River
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Ellendale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Bethlehem
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Liledoun
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Isenhour Park
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Taylorsville Beach
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Millersville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Taylorsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Fairview Park
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Midway
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Rocky Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Vashti
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Brownwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Yates
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Fleetwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Todd
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Obids
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Grandfather
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Linville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pineola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Montezuma
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Seven Devils
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Linville Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Crossnore
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Stamey Town
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Stamey Town is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamey Town
- Newland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Banner Elk
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Pleasant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Chesterfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Connelly Springs
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Drexel
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Rutherford College
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Valdese
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Rhodhiss
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Icard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Hildebran
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Morganton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Yellow Gap
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Calvin
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Long View
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- North Hickory
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Hickory
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Viewmont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Advent Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Brookford
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brookford is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
- Meadow Brook Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
- Mountain View
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Saint Stephens
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Sweetwater
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Fairbrook
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fairbrook is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Fairgrove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairgrove is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairgrove
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Olive Grove
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
- Toluca
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Toluca is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
- Casar
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Knob Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Belwood
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Belwood is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Scotts
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Scotts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Laurel Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Henry
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Vale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hulls Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Ashford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Nebo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Patten
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Marion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Altapass
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Grassy Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Spruce Pine
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Bamboo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Stony Fork
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Rutherwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Foscoe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Shulls Mill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Boone
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Deep Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Laxon
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Moretz
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sands
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Matney
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Valle Crucis
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Ferguson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Boomer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Maple Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Mount Pleasant
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Adley
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Moravian Falls
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Purlear
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Millers Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cricket
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Wilbar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Lenoir, see our County-by-County Page for Lenoir.
Cemeteries Near Lenoir ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Lenoir.
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 Lenoir - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Lenoir covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Bellview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Clark Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Harpertown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Mt. Hermon Methodist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blue Ridge Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Puette Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Puett Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Houck Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Conways Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- North Catawba Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Baton Baptist Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Sunset Hill Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (255 more) ...
- Temple Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Rufus Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Pinecrest Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
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 Lenoir had a population of 673 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Lenoir had a population of 17,911 people.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Lenoir, with the one closest to Lenoir listed first.
- Hibriten ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Hibriten is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hibriten
- Gamewell
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Valley
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cedar Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Valley
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Patterson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Hartland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Hartland is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartland
- Baton
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sawmills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Collettsville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Draco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Yadkin Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Yadkin Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkin Valley
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Muttenz ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
- Chesterfield
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Granite Falls
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Lenoir. See our List of 1890's Communities around Lenoir.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Lenoir ...
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 46 newspapers that have been published in the area around Lenoir.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Lenoir. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Lenoir and those printed in the larger area surrounding Lenoir.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3> of Lenoir.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Lenoir:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Caldwell County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Catawba County
- Cleveland County
- Iredell County
- Lincoln County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Watauga County
- Wilkes 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- Lenoir) 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 Lenoir, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |