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 Peniel (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 Peniel. 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 doctors and 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.
Peniel is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Henderson, Rutherford, Greenville (SC) & Spartanburg (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Peniel. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Peniel:
- Polk County (The home county of Peniel)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Columbus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mill Spring
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Lynn
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Melrose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Fairview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Arden
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Pines
- Ridgecrest
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Skyland
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Black Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Busbee
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Busbee is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
- Montreat
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Avery Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Avery Creek is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery Creek
- Swannanoa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Azalea
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Biltmore Forest
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Cliffside
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Mooresboro
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Boiling Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Lattimore
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- New House
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- New House is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Campcall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Kingstown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Sharon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Polkville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Saluda
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Baxter
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Dana
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Upward
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Upward is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- Zirconia
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Claremont
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- East Flat Rock
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Tuxedo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Bat Cave
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Flat Rock
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Bearwallow
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Barker Heights
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- Carolina Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Vein Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Sugar Hill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Lackey Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Moffitt Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Glenwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Old Fort
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dendron
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Providence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Greenlee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- West Marion
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Shiloh
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Green Hill
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Holly Springs
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Rutherfordton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Harris
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Lake Lure
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Bakersville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Ruth
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Spindale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Chimney Rock
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Alexander Mills
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Forest City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Village of Chimney Rock Village is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Chimney Rock Village
- Estimated population in 2015: 108 people
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Penrose
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Cedar Mountain
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Seven Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Chesnee
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Macedonia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Gaffney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- East Gaffney
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Gowensville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Highland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- O'Neal
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Tigerville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Greer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Greer is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35,316 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greer <1>
- Chick Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Taylors
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Slater
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- East Gate Village
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- Marietta
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Travelers Rest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Landrum
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
- Campobello
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Fingerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Gramling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Brooklyn
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Inman Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Inman
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Inman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <1>
- Boiling Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Falls
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mayo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Southern Shops
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Lyman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Lyman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lyman <1>
- Wellford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Peniel, see our County-by-County Page for Peniel.
Cemeteries Near Peniel ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Peniel.
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 Peniel - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Peniel covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Abrams Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Jackson Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Jones Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem United Methodist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Polk Memorial Gardens
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Good Shepherd Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Rock Springs Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Taylor Plantation Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (376 more) ...
- Big Level Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Gowansville Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- New Hope UMC Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
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 Peniel in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Peniel.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Peniel, with the one closest to Peniel listed first.
- Collinsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Collinsville is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Columbus
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Landrum
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
- Lynn
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Campobello
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- New Prospect
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- New Prospect is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prospect
- Gowensville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Sandy Springs
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Sandy Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
- Fingerville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Poplar Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
- Melrose
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Andover ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Andover is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Andover
- Mack ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mack is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Saluda
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Peniel. See our List of 1890's Communities around Peniel.
Newspapers Published in Peniel ...
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 Peniel.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Peniel, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Peniel.
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 Peniel:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Polk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buncombe County
- Cleveland County
- Henderson County
- McDowell County
- Rutherford County
- Transylvania County
- Cherokee County
- Greenville County
- Spartanburg 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Peniel) 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 Peniel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |