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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 Morganton (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 Morganton. 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 Morganton ...

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.

In past government published Postal Guides, Morganton was referred to as Morganton Courthouse.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Morganton. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Morganton.

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Morganton is located in Burke 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 Burke County: Avery, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell & Rutherford.

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

  • Burke County     (The home county of Morganton)
  • Alexander County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Bethlehem
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
    • Little River
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Little River is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
    • Ellendale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Taylorsville Beach
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
    • Liledoun
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Liledoun is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
    • Isenhour Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
    • Millersville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Millersville is located in Alexander County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
  • Avery County
  • Caldwell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Pinehurst
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Pinehurst is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
    • Muttenz ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
    • Baton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gamewell
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Adako
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Cajah's Mountain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Collettsville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Abingdon
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Hudson
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Sawmills
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
    • Granite Falls
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Lenoir
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Catawba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Advent Crossroads
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Cooksville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Cooksville is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
    • Long View
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Long View is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
    • Meadow Brook Village
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • 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 east)
      • Mountain View is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
    • Brookford
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Brookford is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
    • Hickory
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Viewmont
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Viewmont is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
    • Banoak
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Banoak is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banoak
    • Propst Crossroads
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Propst Crossroads is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propst Crossroads
    • North Hickory
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • North Hickory is located in Catawba County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
    • Plateau
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Olive Grove
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
    • Casar
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
    • Knob Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Toluca
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Toluca is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
    • Delight
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Belwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Belwood is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
    • Polkville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Polkville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
    • Lawndale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • New House
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Fallston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Campcall
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Gaston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Dellview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Dellview is located in Gaston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
    • Cherryville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lincoln County
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Patten
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Nebo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Mountain Home ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
    • Ashford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Glenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Glenwood is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Marion
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • West Marion
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • West Marion is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
    • Vein Mountain
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Providence
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Providence is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Sugar Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Switzerland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Greenlee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Mitchell County
  • Rutherford County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton listed first.
    • Hollis
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Sunshine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
    • Thermal City
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Thermal City is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thermal City
    • Union Mills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Washburn
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Cuba ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Cuba is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Bostic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Otter Creek ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Whitehouse
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Concord
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Concord is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Ruth
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ruth is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
  • Watauga County
  • Wilkes County
  • Yancey County

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

Cemeteries Near Morganton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Morganton.

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 Morganton - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Morganton, with the one closest to Morganton 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Morganton had a population of 1,557 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Morganton had a population of 16,625 people.

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

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Morganton ...

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 53 newspapers that have been published in the area around Morganton.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Morganton. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Morganton and those printed in the larger area surrounding Morganton.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<2> of Morganton.

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 Morganton:

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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Morganton) 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 Morganton, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.