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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 Relief (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 Relief. 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.

Relief is located in Mitchell 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 Mitchell County: Avery, McDowell, Yancey, Carter (TN) & Unicoi (TN).

Below are the counties that are near Relief. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Relief:

  • Mitchell County     (The home county of Relief)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Tipton Hill
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Huntdale
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Bailey
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Bailey is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Red Hill
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Richlands
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Richlands is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
    • Herrell ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Herrell is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
    • Bakersville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
    • Buladean
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Penland
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Spruce Pine
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Grassy Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
  • Avery County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Plumtree
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Chestnut Dale
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Minneapolis
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Minneapolis is located in Avery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
    • Mount Pleasant
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Stamey Town
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Stamey Town is located in Avery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stamey Town
    • Vale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Vale is located in Avery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
    • Elk Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Crossnore
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Linville Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Newland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Montezuma
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Montezuma is located in Avery County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
    • Pineola
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Buncombe County
  • Burke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Jonas Ridge
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Linville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Linville is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
  • Caldwell County
  • Madison County
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Little Switzerland
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Ashford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Dendron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Dendron is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
    • Greenlee
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Old Fort
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Marion
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Lackey Town
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
    • Moffitt Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Nebo
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Providence
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Providence is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • West Marion
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • West Marion is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
  • Watauga County
  • Yancey County
  • Carter County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Tolley Town
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Tolley Town is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolley Town
    • Woodby Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Woodby Hill is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodby Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,730 people
    • Burbank
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Heaton Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gap Run
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Roan Mountain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Shell Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Shell Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21,037 people
    • Hampton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Pine Crest
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Pine Crest is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
    • Central
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Central is located in Carter County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
    • Elizabethton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Watauga
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Greene County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Horse Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Horse Creek is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 284 people
    • Henshaw ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Henshaw is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henshaw
      • Estimated population in 2014: 470 people
    • Water Fork Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Water Fork Mill is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Water Fork Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 445 people
    • Centersville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Rheatown
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Camp Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Tusculum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Tusculum is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tusculum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,669 people
    • Afton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Milburnton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pleasant View
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Pleasant View is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,251 people
    • Fairview
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Fairview is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Bolton Estates
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Bolton Estates is located in Greene County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,152 people
  • Johnson County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Butler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Norris
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Norris is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
    • High Health ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • High Health is located in Johnson County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
  • Sullivan County (TN)
  • Unicoi County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Banner Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Banner Hill is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner Hill
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,497 people
    • Erwin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Erwin is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>
    • Limestone Cove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Indian Creek ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Indian Creek is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Unicoi
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Ernestville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Ernestville is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernestville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,311 people
    • Clear Branch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Bumpus Cove
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Bumpus Cove is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpus Cove
      • Estimated population in 2014: 729 people
    • Loganton ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Loganton is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
    • Whispering Pines
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Flag Pond
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Washington County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief listed first.
    • Kansas City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Kansas City is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kansas City
    • Conklin
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • South Gate Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • South Gate Village is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Village
    • Nolichucky ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Nolichucky is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolichucky
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 5,861 people
    • East Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • East Ridge is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ridge
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21,317 people
    • Midway
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Midway is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Onks
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Onks is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onks
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,715 people
    • Carnegie
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Carnegie is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
    • Johnson City
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Green Hill
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Hill is located in Washington County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
    • Jonesborough
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Telford
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Relief ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Relief.

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 Relief - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Relief, with the one closest to Relief 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.<3>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Relief had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Sioux
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Day Book
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Green Mountain
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Red Hill
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Herrell ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Herrell is located in Mitchell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
  • Bee Log
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Bee Log is located in Yancey County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee Log
  • Higgins
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Bandana
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Bandana is located in Mitchell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bandana
  • Bakersville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
  • Burnsville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Windom
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Windom is located in Yancey County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Hensley ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Hensley is located in Yancey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hensley
    • Cane River
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cane River is located in Yancey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane River
    • Erwin
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Erwin is located in Unicoi County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,854 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Relief ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Relief.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Relief, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Relief.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Relief:

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 Relief, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Relief) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.