RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of North Carolina >> Jackson County >> Ruby City >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Ruby City (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 Ruby City. 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 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.

Ruby City is located in Jackson 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 Jackson County: Haywood, Macon, Swain, Transylvania & Oconee (SC).

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

  • Jackson County     (The home county of Ruby City)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Balsam
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Addie
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Addie is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addie
    • East Laport
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • East Laport is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
    • Cullowhee
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Webster
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Webster is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
    • Forest Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
    • Sylva
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Sylva is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,739 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylva <1>
    • Tuckasegee
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Dillsboro
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Argura
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Argura is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argura
    • Greens Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Greens Creek is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greens Creek
    • Gay
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Gay is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gay
  • Buncombe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Glady
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Glady is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glady
    • Candler
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Newfound
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Newfound is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newfound
    • Sandymush
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Sandymush is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandymush
      • Sandymush has also been known as:
      • Sandy Mush
    • Enka Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Enka Village is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enka Village
    • Enka
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Acton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Acton is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
    • Avery Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Avery Creek is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avery Creek
    • Bent Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Bent Creek is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bent Creek
    • Leicester
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Haywood County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Maggie Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Hazelwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
    • Waynesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Lavinia ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lavinia is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavinia
    • Lake Junaluska
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Bethel
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Bethel is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
    • Sonoma ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Sonoma is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
    • Clyde
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Cruso
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Cruso is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
    • West Canton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • West Canton is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
    • Canton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Morning Star
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Morning Star is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Etowah
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Holly Springs
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Holly Springs is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
  • Macon County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Ellijay
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Ellijay is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellijay
    • Leatherman
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Leatherman is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leatherman
    • Franklin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lickskillet
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Lickskillet is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lickskillet
    • Riverside
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Riverside is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Tellico
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Tellico is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tellico
    • Otto
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Scaly Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Orlando
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Orlando is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orlando
    • Fairview
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Fairview is located in Macon County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
  • Madison County
    • Trust
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Trust is located in Madison County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
  • Swain County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Cherokee
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Oconaluftee Indian Village
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Unahala
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Unahala is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Unahala
    • Bryson City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Almond
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Forney ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Forney is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forney
    • Judson ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Judson is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
    • Bushnell ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Bushnell is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bushnell
    • Wesser
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Wesser is located in Swain County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wesser
  • Transylvania County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Balsam Grove
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sapphire
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Lake Toxaway
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Toxaway Falls ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Toxaway Falls is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxaway Falls
    • Brevard
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Rosman
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Pisgah Forest
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • East Fork
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • East Fork is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
    • Seven Springs
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
    • Penrose
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • Sky Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pickens County (SC)
    • Rocky Bottom
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Rocky Bottom is located in Pickens County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Bottom
  • Cocke County (TN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruby City, with the one closest to Ruby City listed first.
    • Hartford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Naillon ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Naillon is located in Cocke County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naillon
  • Sevier County (TN)
    • Pittman Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Pittman Center is located in Sevier County (TN)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittman Center
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 545 people

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

Cemeteries Near Ruby City ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruby City.

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 Ruby City - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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

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

  • Balsam
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Addie
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Addie is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Addie
  • Beta
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Beta is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beta
  • Webster
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Webster is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Webster
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 386 people
  • Cullowhee
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • East Laport
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • East Laport is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Laport
  • Cowarts
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Cowarts is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowarts
  • Rich Mountain
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Rich Mountain is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Mountain
  • Sylva
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Sylva is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sylva
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,739 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sylva <1>
  • Tuckasegee
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Dillsboro
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Fallcliff
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Fallcliff is located in Jackson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fallcliff
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Waynesville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Big Ridge
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Big Ridge is located in Jackson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Ridge
    • Lavinia ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Lavinia is located in Haywood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavinia

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

Newspapers Published in Ruby City ...

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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruby City.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruby City, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruby City.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we 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 Ruby City:

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 Ruby City, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ruby City) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.