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 Ruth (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 Ruth. 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.
Ruth is located in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County: Buncombe, Burke, Cleveland, Henderson, McDowell, Polk, Cherokee (SC) & Spartanburg (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Ruth. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ruth:
- Rutherford County (The home county of Ruth)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Spindale
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Rutherfordton
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Bakersville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Shiloh
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Forest City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Bostic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Pisgah ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Pisgah is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pisgah
- Alexander Mills
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Concord
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Union Mills
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Ridgecrest
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Black Mountain
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Montreat
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Fairview
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Walkertown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Walkertown is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
- Swannanoa
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wilson is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilson
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Brindletown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Rollins ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rollins is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Parkhill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Parkhill is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkhill
- Glen Alpine
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Camp Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Enola
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Ramsey
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Ramsey is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
- Salem
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Salem is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salem
- Shoups Ford
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
- Yellow Gap
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Calvin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Magnolia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Magnolia is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
- Catawba County
- Cooksville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cooksville is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- New House
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- New House is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Cliffside
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Mooresboro
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Lattimore
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Polkville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Campcall
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Delight
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Delight is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
- Kingstown
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
- Boiling Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Casar
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gaston County
- Dellview
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Dellview is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
- Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Bat Cave
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bearwallow
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Baxter
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Gerton
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Saluda
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Dana
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Upward
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Upward is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- U-No
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- U-No is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- East Flat Rock
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Barker Heights
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- Carolina Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
- Claremont
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Laurel Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Hulls Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Vein Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Sugar Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Glenwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Providence
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Patten
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Patten is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
- West Marion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Lackey Town
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Moffitt Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Marion
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Greenlee
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Old Fort
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Polk County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Mill Spring
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Columbus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Lynn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Melrose
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Chesnee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Macedonia
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- East Gaffney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Gaffney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Blacksburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Gowensville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Highland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Brooklyn
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Fingerville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Landrum
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Landrum is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landrum
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,725 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Landrum <1>
- Mayo
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Campobello
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Boiling Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Gramling
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Inman
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Inman is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,480 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inman <1>
- Inman Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Valley Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cowpens
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Cowpens is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowpens
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,465 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cowpens <1>
- Converse
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ruth, see our County-by-County Page for Ruth.
Cemeteries Near Ruth ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruth.
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 Ruth - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ruth covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Rutherfordton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- St. Francis Episcopal Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- West Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Gold Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Spindale Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whiteside Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Thompson Family Haven
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Wells Springs UMC Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Gilboa Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilboa Cemetery
- The Gilboa Cemetery has also been known as:
- Gilboa UMC Cemetery
- Miller - Twitty Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sunset Memorial Park
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- St. Paul AME Zion Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (322 more) ...
- Pleasant Grove UMC Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Grove UMC Cemetery
- The Pleasant Grove UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Pleasant Grove Cemetery
- Pleasant Grove Methodist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #48458 <2>
- Mountain Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Green Hill Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
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 Ruth in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ruth.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ruth, with the one closest to Ruth listed first.
- Rutherfordton
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Mack ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Mack is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Forest City
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Green Hill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Bostic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Washburn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Washburn is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
- Cuba ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Cuba is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
- Sunshine
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Trio ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Trio is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trio
- Poplar Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
- Henrietta
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Ellenboro
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Vein Mountain
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Sandy Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Sandy Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
- Hollis
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Hollis is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ruth. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ruth.
Newspapers Published in Ruth ...
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 38 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruth.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruth, there are papers which were published within 20 miles [32.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruth.
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 Ruth:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Rutherford County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Catawba County
- Cleveland County
- Gaston County
- Henderson County
- Lincoln County
- McDowell County
- Polk County
- Cherokee County
- Greenville County
- Spartanburg 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 Ruth, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ruth) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |