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 Mount Zion (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 Mount Zion. 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 Mount Zion ...
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 Mount Zion: Mt. Zion
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Mount Zion. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Mount Zion.
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 southwest 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 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.
Mount Zion 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 Mount Zion. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Mount Zion:
- Wilkes County (The home county of Mount Zion)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Maple Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Mount Pleasant
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Ferguson
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Purlear
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Wilbar
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Millers Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Boomer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Adley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Cricket
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Moravian Falls
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mulberry
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mulberry is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Ellendale
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Little River
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Liledoun
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Taylorsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vashti
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Bethlehem
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Rocky Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Isenhour Park
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Midway
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Millersville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Fairview Park
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Hiddenite
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Taylorsville Beach
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Scottville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Topia
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Piney Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Amelia
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Amelia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amelia
- Roaring Gap
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Sparta
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Yates
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Brownwood
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Fleetwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Obids
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Glendale Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Todd
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Orion
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- West Jefferson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Wagoner
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Jefferson
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Transou
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Warrensville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Creston
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Seven Devils
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Grandfather
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Grandfather is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Banner Elk
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Beech Mountain
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Linville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Montezuma
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Mount Gilead
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Gilead is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Pineola
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Newland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Whaley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Whaley is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
- Crossnore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Vale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Vale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Rhodhiss
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Chesterfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Jonas Ridge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Connelly Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Drexel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Rutherford College
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Icard
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Valdese
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hildebran
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Kings Creek
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Patterson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Mulberry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Blowing Rock
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Cedar Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- 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
- Draco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Rufus
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Lenoir
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- 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 <1>
- Abingdon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Collettsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- North Hickory
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Saint Stephens
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Viewmont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Hickory
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,473 people
- Long View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- Sweetwater
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Oxford Park
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Love Valley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- New Hope is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Stony Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Deep Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Laxon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Rutherwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Bamboo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Moretz
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Sands
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Boone
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Norris ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Shulls Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Foscoe
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Valle Crucis
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vilas
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Trade
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Norris
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Norris is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
- Mountain City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Grayson County (VA)
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Mount Zion, see our County-by-County Page for Mount Zion.
Cemeteries Near Mount Zion ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mount Zion.
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 Mount Zion - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Mount Zion covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Stony Fork Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Laytown Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Sherrill Hill Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Laurel Fork Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Cook Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Moore Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Bolick Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Greene Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Harrison Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Kings Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Horton Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (400 more) ...
- Vannoy Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Elrod Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Green Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
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 Mount Zion had a population of 114 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Mount Zion, with the one closest to Mount Zion listed first.
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Darby
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Darby is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darby
- Stony Fork
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Maple Springs
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Ready Branch
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Ready Branch is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ready Branch
- Penley ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Penley is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penley
- Buffalo Cove
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Buffalo Cove is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo Cove
- Elkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elkville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkville
- Parsonville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Parsonville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parsonville
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Triplett
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Triplett is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Yadkin Valley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Yadkin Valley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yadkin Valley
- Continue List (18 more) ...
- Purlear
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Rutherwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Bamboo
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Mount Zion. See our List of 1890's Communities around Mount Zion.
Newspapers Published in Mount Zion ...
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 Mount Zion.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Mount Zion, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Mount Zion.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Mount Zion:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wilkes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Iredell County
- Watauga County
- Johnson County
- Grayson 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Mount Zion) 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 Mount Zion, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |