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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 Ridge Haven (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 Ridge Haven. 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 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.

Ridge Haven is located in Transylvania 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 Transylvania County: Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Greenville (SC), Oconee (SC) & Pickens (SC).

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

  • Transylvania County     (The home county of Ridge Haven)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Rosman
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Rosman is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosman
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 624 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosman <1>
    • East Fork
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • East Fork is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
    • Lake Toxaway
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Toxaway Falls ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Toxaway Falls is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxaway Falls
    • Balsam Grove
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Sapphire
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Brevard
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Brevard is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brevard <1>
    • Cedar Mountain
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Pisgah Forest
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Seven Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
    • Penrose
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Buncombe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Glady
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Glady is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glady
    • Avery Creek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Avery Creek is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery Creek
    • Candler
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Arden
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Bent Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Bent Creek is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
  • Haywood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Cruso
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Cruso is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
    • Lavinia ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Lavinia is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavinia
    • Bethel
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Bethel is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Sonoma ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Sonoma is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • Hazelwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Waynesville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Morning Star
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Morning Star is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
    • Canton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Clyde
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Clyde is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clyde
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,308 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clyde <1>
    • Lake Junaluska
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • West Canton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • West Canton is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Etowah
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Holly Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Holly Springs is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Horse Shoe
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mount Olive
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Mount Olive is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
    • Laurel Park
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Sky Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Sky Village is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sky Village
    • Tuxedo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mills River
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Valley Hill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Valley Hill is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Hill
    • Claremont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Claremont is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
    • Flat Rock
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Timberland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Timberland is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timberland
  • Jackson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Cashiers
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Argura
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Argura is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argura
    • Glenville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Tuckasegee
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Erastus
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Erastus is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erastus
    • Highlands
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • East Laport
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • East Laport is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
    • Cullowhee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Forest Hills
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • 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>
    • Ruby City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Ruby City is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby City
    • Balsam
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Webster
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Webster is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Ellijay
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Ellijay is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellijay
    • Lickskillet
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Lickskillet is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
    • Scaly Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Franklin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Otto
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
    • Riverside
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Riverside is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
  • Polk County
    • Melrose
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Melrose is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Sky Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Antioch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Antioch is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
  • Anderson County (SC)
    • Powderville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Powderville is located in Anderson County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
  • Greenville County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Caesars Head
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Caesars Head is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caesars Head
    • Cleveland
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Marietta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Slater
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Merrittsville ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
    • Travelers Rest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Tigerville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Berea
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Berea is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
    • City View
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • City View is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City View
    • Parker
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Parker is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
    • Sans Souci
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Sans Souci is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sans Souci
    • Highland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
  • Oconee County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Salem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Salem is located in Oconee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 153 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salem <1>
    • Tamassee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mountain Rest
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Newry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Walhalla
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • West Union
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Seneca
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Seneca is located in Oconee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seneca
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,564 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Seneca <1>
    • Utica
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Utica is located in Oconee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
  • Pickens County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.
    • Rocky Bottom
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Rocky Bottom is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Bottom
    • Sunset
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Knob ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Knob is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
    • Crow Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Crow Creek is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
    • Nine Times
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Nine Times is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Times
    • Pickens
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Pickens is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickens
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pickens <1>
    • Six Mile
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Dacusville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Dacusville is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
    • Arial
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Arial is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arial
    • Liberty
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Liberty is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,150 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Liberty <1>
    • Easley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Easley is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Easley
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 21,626 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Easley <1>
    • Norris
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Norris is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Norris <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Ridge Haven ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ridge Haven.

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 Ridge Haven - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ridge Haven, with the one closest to Ridge Haven listed first.

  • Middle Fork Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Gillespie Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Whitmire Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Rocky Bottom Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Masters Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Cassell Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Oakland Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • McCall Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Owens Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Eastatoe Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Nimmons Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Friendship Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (354 more) ...
    • Holly Springs Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Lance Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • McGaha 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.<2>

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

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

  • East Fork
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • East Fork is located in Transylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
  • Cherryfield
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cherryfield is located in Transylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryfield
  • Balsam Grove
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Nimmons
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Nimmons is located in Pickens County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimmons
  • Jocassee ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jocassee is located in Oconee County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jocassee
  • Brevard
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Brevard is located in Transylvania County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,899 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brevard <1>
  • Wolf Mountain
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Wolf Mountain is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Mountain
  • Eastatoe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Eastatoe is located in Pickens County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastatoe
  • Knob ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Knob is located in Pickens County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
  • Cedar Mountain
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Caesars Head
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Caesars Head is located in Greenville County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caesars Head
  • Nine Times
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Nine Times is located in Pickens County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Times
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Crow Creek
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Crow Creek is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
    • Davidson River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Davidson River is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davidson River
    • Wattacoo ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Wattacoo is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattacoo

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

Newspapers Published in Ridge Haven ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ridge Haven.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ridge Haven, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ridge Haven.

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 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 Ridge Haven:

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>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 Ridge Haven, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Ridge Haven) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.