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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 Rainbow Springs (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 Rainbow Springs. 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 Rainbow Springs ...

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 Rainbow Springs: Rainbow Spgs. (or less commonly used: Rainbow Spngs. or Rainbow Sprngs.)

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.

Rainbow Springs 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 Rainbow Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rainbow Springs:

  • Macon County     (The home county of Rainbow Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Otto
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Riverside
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Riverside is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Tellico
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Tellico is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tellico
    • Franklin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Orlando
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Orlando is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
    • Fairview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Fairview is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Scaly Mountain
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Lickskillet
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Lickskillet is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
    • Leatherman
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Leatherman is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherman
    • Ellijay
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Ellijay is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellijay
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Rhodo
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Rhodo is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhodo
    • Topton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Buffalo
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Buffalo is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
    • Andrews
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Coalville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Coalville is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coalville
    • Marble
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Boiling Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Boiling Springs is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boiling Springs
    • Murphy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Grape Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Grape Creek is located in Cherokee County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grape Creek
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Elf
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Elf is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elf
    • Hayesville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Warne
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Brasstown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Pine Log Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Pine Log Village is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Log Village
  • Graham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Bear Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bear Creek is located in Graham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Creek
    • Cheoah
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Cheoah is located in Graham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cheoah
    • Stecoah
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Stecoah is located in Graham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stecoah
    • Robbinsville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake Santeetlah
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • 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
    • Yellow Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Yellow Creek is located in Graham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Creek
    • Fontana Dam
      (27 miles [43.5 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>
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Highlands
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Gay
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Gay is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gay
    • Erastus
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Erastus is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erastus
    • Greens Creek
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Greens Creek is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Creek
    • Glenville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Dillsboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Wilmot
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilmot is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmot
    • Cashiers
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Cullowhee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Webster
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Webster is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
    • Whittier
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Swain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Nantahala
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Nantahala is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantahala
    • Wesser
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Wesser is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesser
    • Almond
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Unahala
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Unahala is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unahala
    • Judson ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Judson is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
    • Bushnell ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Bushnell is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
    • Forney ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Forney is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
    • Bryson City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Cherokee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Oconaluftee Indian Village
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Habersham County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Tugaloo
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Tugaloo is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tugaloo
    • Mauldins ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Mauldins is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauldins
      • Estimated population in 2019: 225 people
    • Turnerville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Dillard
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Germany
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Germany is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germany
    • Mountain City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sky Valley
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Clayton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Clayton is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clayton
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,103 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clayton <1>
    • Tiger
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Tiger is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tiger
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 418 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tiger <1>
    • Antioch
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Antioch is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
    • Wiley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Lakemont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Tallulah Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Towns County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Tate City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Tate City is located in Towns County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tate City
    • Hunt ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Hunt is located in Towns County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt
    • Hiawassee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Young Harris
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jacksonville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jacksonville is located in Towns County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacksonville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,239 people
  • Union County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Blairsville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Hood ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Hood is located in Union County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hood
    • Choestoe
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Choestoe is located in Union County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choestoe
    • Canal Lake
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Canal Lake is located in Union County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canal Lake
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 23,025 people
    • Owltown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Owltown is located in Union County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owltown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,346 people
  • White County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Helen
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Helen is located in White County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helen
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 559 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helen <1>
    • Robertstown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Robertstown is located in White County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robertstown
    • Sautee - Nacoochee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Nacoochee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Nacoochee is located in White County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nacoochee
    • Naguchee ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Naguchee is located in White County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naguchee
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,141 people
  • Oconee County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs listed first.
    • Mountain Rest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Battle Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Battle Creek is located in Oconee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battle Creek
    • Longcreek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Rainbow Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rainbow Springs.

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 Rainbow Springs - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rainbow Springs, with the one closest to Rainbow Springs 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>

While we didn't find Rainbow Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rainbow Springs.

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

  • Shooting Creek
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Shooting Creek is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shooting Creek
  • Aquone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Aquone is located in Macon County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aquone
  • Otto
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Elf
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Elf is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elf
  • Tusquitee
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Tusquitee is located in Clay County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tusquitee
  • Visage ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Visage is located in Towns County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Visage
  • Franklin
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Hunt ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hunt is located in Towns County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt
  • Hayesville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Hiawassee
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Osborn
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Osborn is located in Towns County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osborn
  • Blalock
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Blalock is located in Rabun County (GA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blalock
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Persimmon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Persimmon is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persimmon
    • Nantahala
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Nantahala is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nantahala
    • Cullasaja
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Cullasaja is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cullasaja

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

Newspapers Published in Rainbow Springs ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rainbow Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rainbow Springs, there are papers which were published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rainbow Springs.

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 Rainbow Springs:

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