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 Sandy Plains (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 Sandy Plains. 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 Sandy Plains ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Sandy Plains: Sandy Plns.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Sandy Plains. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Sandy Plains.
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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Sandy Plains is located in Polk 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 Polk County: Henderson, Rutherford, Greenville (SC) & Spartanburg (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Sandy Plains. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sandy Plains:
- Polk County (The home county of Sandy Plains)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Mill Spring
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Columbus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Lynn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Tryon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Melrose
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Buncombe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Fairview
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Arden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Black Mountain
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ridgecrest
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Royal Pines is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Pines
- Busbee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Busbee is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Busbee
- Skyland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Montreat
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Swannanoa
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Brindletown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Cleveland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Cliffside
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Mooresboro
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Boiling Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Lattimore
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- New House
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- New House is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Kingstown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
- Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
- Polkville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Polkville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Polkville
- Population from the 2020 Census: 552 people
- Campcall
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Campcall is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
- Sharon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Brittain Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Saluda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Baxter
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Baxter is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
- Dana
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Dana is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
- Upward
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Upward is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- Bat Cave
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- East Flat Rock
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Zirconia
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Claremont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Flat Rock
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Tuxedo
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Bearwallow
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- U-No
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- U-No is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
- Barker Heights
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Vein Mountain
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
- Sugar Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- Lackey Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Moffitt Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Glenwood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Glenwood is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Old Fort
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Providence
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- West Marion
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Dendron
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Greenlee
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Marion
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Patten
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Patten is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Shiloh
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Holly Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Green Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
- Rutherfordton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Harris
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Bakersville
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Ruth
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ruth is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
- Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
- Spindale
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Alexander Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Sandy Mush
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Forest City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Lake Lure
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Bostic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Chesnee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Gaffney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- East Gaffney
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Greenville County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Gowensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Highland
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
- Merrittsville ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
- O'Neal
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Tigerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Greer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Greer is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 35,316 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Greer <1>
- Chick Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Taylors
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Cleveland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Pelham
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- East Gate Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- Marietta
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Slater
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Landrum
(7 miles [11.3 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>
- Fingerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Campobello
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Brooklyn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Gramling
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Inman
(13 miles [20.9 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
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Boiling Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Valley Falls
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mayo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Southern Shops
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Arcadia
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Fairforest
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sandy Plains, see our County-by-County Page for Sandy Plains.
Cemeteries Near Sandy Plains ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sandy Plains.
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 Sandy Plains - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sandy Plains covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Abrams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jackson Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Beulah Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Bethlehem United Methodist Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jones Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- New Hope UMC Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Taylor Plantation Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Polk Memorial Gardens
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Evergreen Memorial Gardens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Poors Ford Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Kistlers Chapel UMC Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Grays Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (372 more) ...
- Union Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Walker Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Good Shepherd Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 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 Sandy Plains in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sandy Plains.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sandy Plains, with the one closest to Sandy Plains listed first.
- Collinsville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Collinsville is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
- Columbus
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Landrum
(7 miles [11.3 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>
- Sandy Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Sandy Springs is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
- Tryon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- New Prospect
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- New Prospect is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Prospect
- Fingerville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Lynn
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Lynn is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Poplar Grove
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
- Campobello
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mack ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mack is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
- Brooklyn
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Gowensville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Rutherfordton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Green Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sandy Plains. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sandy Plains.
Newspapers Published in Sandy Plains ...
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 Sandy Plains.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sandy Plains, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sandy Plains.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Sandy Plains:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Polk County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Cleveland County
- Henderson County
- McDowell County
- Rutherford 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 Sandy Plains, 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 from Point A (ie- Sandy Plains) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |