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 Rockdale (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 Rockdale. 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 and doctors 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.
Rockdale 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 Rockdale. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rockdale:
- Cleveland County (The home county of Rockdale)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Belwood
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Belwood is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
- Knob Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
- Toluca
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Toluca is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
- Fallston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Olive Grove
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Olive Grove is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olive Grove
- Lawndale
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Beam Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
- Wilson ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Wilson is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Casar
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Delight
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Delight is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
- Polkville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Campcall
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Bethlehem
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Taylorsville Beach
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Little River
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Camp Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Ramsey
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ramsey is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
- Shoups Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
- Enola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Hildebran
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Yellow Gap
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Connelly Springs
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Icard
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Rutherford College
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Valdese
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Salem
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Salem is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Drexel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Brindletown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Northlakes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
- Baton
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Baton is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baton
- Concord ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Granite Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Sawmills
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Cajah's Mountain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Cajah's Mountain is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cajah's Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,728 people
- Hudson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Hudson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,703 people
- Former name for Hudson:
- Hudsonville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
- Pinehurst
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Pinehurst is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Gamewell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Gamewell is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gamewell
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,993 people
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Abingdon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Lenoir
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lenoir is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lenoir
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,911 people
- Former name for Lenoir:
- Tucker's Barn
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lenoir <1>
- Muttenz ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Cooksville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Cooksville is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Banoak
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Banoak is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banoak
- Plateau
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Plateau is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plateau
- Propst Crossroads
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Propst Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propst Crossroads
- Advent Crossroads
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Advent Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advent Crossroads
- Blackburn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Blackburn is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Rhoney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rhoney is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoney
- Meadow Brook Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
- Mountain View
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Long View
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- Brookford
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brookford is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
- Maiden
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Startown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Startown is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Startown
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Dellview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Dellview is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
- Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
- Cherryville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Perry
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Perry is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
- Tryon
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Tryon is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryon
- High Shoals
(18 miles [29 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
- Bessemer City
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Dallas
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Alexis
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Alexis is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexis
- Gastonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Stanley
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- South Gastonia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- South Gastonia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
- Ranlo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- 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 southeast)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Hulls Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- Laurel Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Henry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henry is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Vale
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Crouse
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Lincolnton
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Boger City
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Iron Station
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Machpelah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Denver
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Lowesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lowesville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Patten
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Patten is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
- Vein Mountain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Nebo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Glenwood
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Sugar Hill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Hollis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Hollis is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Ellenboro
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Sunshine
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Washburn
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Washburn is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
- Six Points
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Six Points is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Bostic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Concord
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Caroleen
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Forest City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Henrietta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Alexander Mills
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Sandy Mush
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Blacksburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- East Gaffney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Kings Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Gaffney
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Chesnee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- York County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Bowling Green
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Smyrna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Clover
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rockdale, see our County-by-County Page for Rockdale.
Cemeteries Near Rockdale ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rockdale.
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 Rockdale - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rockdale covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Rose Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Warlick Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mooney Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Salem Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cedar Grove Lutheran Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eaker Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Palm Tree UMC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bethphage Lutheran Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Corinth Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Lattimore Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Union Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Golden Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (315 more) ...
- Community Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- New Prospect Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
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 Rockdale in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rockdale.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rockdale, with the one closest to Rockdale listed first.
- Belwood
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Belwood is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belwood
- Population from the 2020 Census: 963 people
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Knob Creek
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Knob Creek is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob Creek
- Fallston
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Hulls Crossroads
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- Toluca
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Toluca is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toluca
- Orleans
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Orleans is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orleans
- Beam Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
- Camp Creek
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Henry
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henry is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Casar
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Double Shoals
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Double Shoals is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Shoals
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Delight
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Delight is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
- Polkville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rockdale. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rockdale.
Newspapers Published in Rockdale ...
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 49 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rockdale.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rockdale, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rockdale.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Rockdale:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Cleveland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- McDowell County
- Rutherford County
- Cherokee 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 Rockdale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Rockdale) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |