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 Ora (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 Ora. 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.
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 hospitals 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.
Ora is located in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County: Burke, Gaston, Lincoln, Rutherford, Cherokee (SC) & York (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Ora. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ora:
- Cleveland County (The home county of Ora)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Dover
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Dover is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Shelby
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Village Square Townhouses
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Briarwood Townhouses
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Briarwood Townhouses is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Townhouses
- Brittain Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
- Sharon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Kingstown
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Lattimore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Elizabeth City
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Elizabeth City is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth City
- Campcall
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Boiling Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Camp Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Ramsey
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Ramsey is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
- Shoups Ford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
- Enola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Brindletown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Yellow Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Rollins ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rollins is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Salem
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Salem is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Hildebran
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Icard
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Magnolia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Calvin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Cooksville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Cooksville is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Banoak
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Banoak is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banoak
- Plateau
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Plateau is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plateau
- Blackburn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Blackburn is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Propst Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Propst Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propst Crossroads
- Advent Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Advent Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advent Crossroads
- Rhoney
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rhoney is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoney
- Meadow Brook Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
- Maiden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Providence Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Providence Mill is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence Mill
- Duan
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Duan is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duan
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Dellview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dellview is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
- Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
- Cherryville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Perry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Perry is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
- Tryon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Tryon is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryon
- Bessemer City
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Dallas
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Gastonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- High Shoals
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- High Shoals is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Shoals
- Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
- South Gastonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- South Gastonia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
- Ranlo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- Smyre
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Alexis
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Alexis is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexis
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Hulls Crossroads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- Laurel Hill
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Crouse
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Henry
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Henry is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Vale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Lincolnton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Boger City
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Iron Station
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Machpelah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Vein Mountain
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Patten
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Patten is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
- Glenwood
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Six Points
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Six Points is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Ellenboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Hollis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hollis is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Caroleen
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Henrietta
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Concord
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Washburn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Washburn is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
- Bostic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Sandy Mush
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Alexander Mills
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Forest City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Sunshine
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Blacksburg
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- East Gaffney
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Gaffney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Kings Creek
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Chesnee
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Brooklyn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Mayo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Cowpens
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cowpens is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowpens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,465 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowpens <1>
- Clifton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Converse
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Fingerville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Hill is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill
- Pacolet Mills
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Boiling Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Glendale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Central Pacolet
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Central Pacolet is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Pacolet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- Drayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- York County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Smyrna
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bowling Green
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
- Clover
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Hickory Grove
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Filbert
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Filbert is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
- Hopewell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Hopewell is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Sharon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- York
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Blairsville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Blairsville is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ora, see our County-by-County Page for Ora.
Cemeteries Near Ora ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ora.
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 Ora - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ora covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Royster Memorial Park
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Beaver Dam Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Sunset Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- East Side Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ross Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Zion Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Golden Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Sharon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Webb Memorial Lawns
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Lattimore Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Community Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- McBrayer Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (323 more) ...
- Cleveland Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sulphur Springs Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Union Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 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.<3>
While we didn't find Ora in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ora.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ora, with the one closest to Ora listed first.
- Shelby
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Sharon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Lattimore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Campcall
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Double Shoals
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Double Shoals is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Shoals
- Boiling Springs
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Durbro ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Durbro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbro
- Stubbs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Stubbs is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Beam Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
- Nicholsville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Nicholsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholsville
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Earl
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Earl is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Polkville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- New House
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- New House is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Waco
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Waco is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ora. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ora.
Newspapers Published in Ora ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ora.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ora, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ora.
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 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 Ora:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Cleveland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Burke County
- Catawba County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- McDowell County
- Rutherford County
- Cherokee County
- Spartanburg County
- York 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> | 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 Ora, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Ora) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |