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 Oak Grove (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 Oak Grove. 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 Oak Grove ...
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.
Another variation: Oakgrove.
- A typical abbreviation for Oak Grove: Oak Grv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Oak Grove. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Oak Grove.
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 northwest 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 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.
Oak Grove is located in Macon 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 Macon County: Rabun (GA), Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson & Swain.
Below are the counties that are near Oak Grove. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Oak Grove:
- Macon County (The home county of Oak Grove)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Leatherman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Leatherman is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherman
- Tellico
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Tellico is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tellico
- Franklin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Fairview is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Ellijay
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ellijay is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellijay
- Riverside
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Riverside is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Otto
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lickskillet
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lickskillet is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
- Orlando
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Orlando is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
- Scaly Mountain
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Topton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Rhodo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Rhodo is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodo
- Buffalo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Buffalo is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
- Andrews
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Coalville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Coalville is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
- Marble
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Elf
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Elf is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elf
- Hayesville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Graham County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Stecoah
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stecoah is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stecoah
- Bear Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Bear Creek is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
- Cheoah
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Cheoah is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheoah
- Robbinsville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Fontana Dam
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Fontana Dam is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fontana Dam
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6 people
- Fontana Dam has also been known as:
- Fontana Village
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fontana Dam <1>
- Yellow Creek
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Yellow Creek is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
- Lake Santeetlah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lake Santeetlah is located in Graham County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Santeetlah
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Lake Santeetlah has also been known as:
- Santeetla
- Santeetlah
- Santultah
- Thunderbird Mountain
- Thunderbird
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Maggie Valley
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hazelwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Waynesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Gay
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Gay is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gay
- Greens Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Greens Creek is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Creek
- Whittier
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmot is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Dillsboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Webster
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Webster is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
- Forest Hills
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Forest Hills is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Hills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 376 people
- Forest Hills has also been known as:
- Forest Hills village
- Village of Forest Hills
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Forest Hills <1>
- Sylva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cullowhee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Erastus
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Erastus is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erastus
- Paint Town
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Paint Town is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paint Town
- East Laport
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- East Laport is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
- Swain County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Unahala
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Unahala is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unahala
- Wesser
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Wesser is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesser
- Almond
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bryson City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Judson ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Judson is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Forney ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Forney is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
- Nantahala
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Nantahala is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantahala
- Bushnell ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bushnell is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
- Cherokee
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Oconaluftee Indian Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Sapphire
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Toxaway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Toxaway Falls ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Toxaway Falls is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxaway Falls
- Rabun County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Dillard
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sky Valley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Mountain City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Germany
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Germany is located in Rabun County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germany
- Clayton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Antioch
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Antioch is located in Rabun County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Tiger
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Towns County (GA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Tate City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Tate City is located in Towns County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tate City
- Hunt ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hunt is located in Towns County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt
- Hiawassee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Blount County (TN)
- Red Bank
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Red Bank is located in Blount County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bank
- Sevier County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Elkmont ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Elkmont is located in Sevier County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkmont
- Chalet Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Chalet Village is located in Sevier County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalet Village
- Gatlinburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Oak Grove, see our County-by-County Page for Oak Grove.
Cemeteries Near Oak Grove ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oak Grove.
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 Oak Grove - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Oak Grove covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Lakey Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Morgan Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Fout Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Shepherd Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Tabor Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Truitt Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Tellico Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Brush Creek Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Grave Gap Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Windy Gap Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Tippet Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Breedlove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (286 more) ...
- Cochran Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Fred Cochran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Brendle Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
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>
While we didn't find Oak Grove in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Oak Grove.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Oak Grove, with the one closest to Oak Grove listed first.
- Leatherman
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Leatherman is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherman
- Franklin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Cullasaja
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Cullasaja is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullasaja
- Bryson City
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Aquone
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Aquone is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquone
- Ellijay
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ellijay is located in Macon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellijay
- Wilmot
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wilmot is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
- Whittier
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Judson ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Judson is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Hewitt
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Hewitt is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hewitt
- Dillsboro
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Nantahala
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Nantahala is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantahala
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Webster
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Webster is located in Jackson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
- Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
- Bushnell ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Bushnell is located in Swain County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
- Sylva
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Oak Grove. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oak Grove.
Newspapers Published in Oak Grove ...
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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oak Grove.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Oak Grove, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Oak Grove.
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 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 Oak Grove:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Macon County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Clay County
- Graham County
- Haywood County
- Jackson County
- Swain County
- Transylvania County
- Rabun County
- Towns County
- Blount County
- Sevier 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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Oak Grove) 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 Oak Grove, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |