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 Rocky River (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 Rocky River. 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 Rocky River ...
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.
Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might occur.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Rocky River: Rocky Riv.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Rocky River. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Rocky River.
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 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.
Rocky River is located in Cabarrus 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 Cabarrus County: Iredell, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Rocky River. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Rocky River:
- Cabarrus County (The home county of Rocky River)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Harrisburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Midland
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Bosts Mill ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bosts Mill is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosts Mill
- Georgeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Concord
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Poplar Tent
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Poplar Tent is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Tent
- Mount Pleasant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cannon Crossroads
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Cannon Crossroads is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Crossroads
- Cannon Crossroads has also been known as:
- Cannon Cross Roads
- Cannon's Crossroads
- Wallace Cross Roads
- Wallace Crossroads
- Tulin ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tulin is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulin
- Fisher Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Fisher Town is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher Town
- Rimer
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Rimer is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rimer
- Anson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Burnsville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Burnsville is located in Anson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Roper ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Roper is located in Anson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roper
- Peachland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Town
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Town is located in Anson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Town
- Ansonville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Ansonville is located in Anson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ansonville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 586 people
- Polkton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Polkton is located in Anson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkton
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,288 people
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Lake Norman of Catawba
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Terrell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Sherrills Ford
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Lucia
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lucia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucia
- Mount Holly
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Brown Town
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Brown Town is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Belmont
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Woodland ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Woodland is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Catawba ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Catawba is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
- Cramerton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- McAdenville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Lowell
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Spencer Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Spencer Mountain is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spencer Mountain
- Estimated population in 2016: 36 people
- Stanley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Ranlo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- Smyre
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Mount Mourne
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Mourne is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Mourne
- Mooresville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mayhew
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mayhew is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhew
- Mazeppa
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mazeppa is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mazeppa
- Doolie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Doolie is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doolie
- Shepherds
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Shepherds is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepherds
- Ostwalt
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Ostwalt is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostwalt
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Lowesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lowesville is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
- Westport
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Westport is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- Denver
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Machpelah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Mecklenburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Allen
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Allen is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allen
- Newell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Newell is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Mint Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Belmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Belmont is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Chantilly
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Chantilly is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chantilly
- Croft
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Croft is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Croft
- Charlotte
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Matthews
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Greenville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Greenville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenville
- Biddleville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
- Spring Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Spring Lake is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Lake
- Wilmore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Wilmore is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
- Chateau Woods
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Chateau Woods is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chateau Woods
- Rowan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Kannapolis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Enochville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Enochville is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enochville
- North Kannapolis
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- North Kannapolis is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Kannapolis
- Landis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Corriher Heights
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Corriher Heights is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corriher Heights
- China Grove
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Five Forks
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Five Forks is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Five Points
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Five Points is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
- Shupings Mill
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Shupings Mill is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shupings Mill
- Harris Chapel
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Harris Chapel is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris Chapel
- Harts ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Harts is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harts
- Garfield ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Garfield is located in Rowan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
- Gold Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Stanly County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Locust
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Stanfield
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Lambert
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Lambert is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lambert
- Red Cross
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Red Cross is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Cross
- Population from the 2020 Census: 769 people
- Oakboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Bloomington
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Bloomington is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Millingport
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Millingport is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millingport
- Plyer
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Plyer is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plyer
- Cedar Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Cedar Village is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Village
- Misenheimer
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Misenheimer is located in Stanly County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Misenheimer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 742 people
- Albemarle
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Richfield
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- New London
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Fairview
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Fairview is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,984 people
- Hemby Bridge
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Hemby Bridge is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemby Bridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,846 people
- Stallings
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Lake Park
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Lake Park is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,999 people
- Indian Trail
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Unionville
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Unionville is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unionville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,344 people
- Monroe
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Fairfield
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairfield is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairfield
- Wesley Chapel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- White Oak
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- White Oak is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Carmel Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Carmel Village is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
- Wingate
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Marvin
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marvin is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
- Lancaster County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Colonial Village
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Colonial Village is located in Lancaster County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Camp Cox
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Camp Cox is located in Lancaster County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Cox
- Indian Land
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- York County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Fort Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Wylie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Tega Cay
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Rocky River, see our County-by-County Page for Rocky River.
Cemeteries Near Rocky River ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rocky River.
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 Rocky River - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rocky River covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Rutherford Memorial Park
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Union Grove Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Charlotte Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Newell Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Ira V. Ferguson Memorial Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- St. Peters Lutheran Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Siloam Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Plaza Road Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Logan Chapel CME Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Sunset Memory Gardens
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Evergreen Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (138 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Community Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- St. James Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
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 Rocky River in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Rocky River.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Rocky River, with the one closest to Rocky River listed first.
- Pioneer Mills
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Pioneer Mills is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer Mills
- Harrisburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Furrs ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Furrs is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Furrs
- Monteith ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Monteith is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monteith
- Newell
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Newell is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newell
- Burdett ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Burdett is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burdett
- Bosts Mill ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Bosts Mill is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bosts Mill
- Georgeville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Georgeville is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Georgeville
- Concord
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mint Hill
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Kingwood ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kingwood is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingwood
- Mount Pleasant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Derita
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Derita is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derita
- Eastfield
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Eastfield is located in Mecklenburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastfield
- Mill Hill ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Hill is located in Cabarrus County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Rocky River. See our List of 1890's Communities around Rocky River.
Newspapers Published in Rocky River ...
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 28 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rocky River.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rocky River, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rocky River.
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 Rocky River:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Cabarrus County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anson County
- Catawba County
- Gaston County
- Iredell County
- Lincoln County
- Mecklenburg County
- Rowan County
- Stanly County
- Union County
- Lancaster 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> | 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- Rocky River) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Rocky River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |