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 Sorrento Skies (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 Sorrento Skies. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.
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 south 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.
Sorrento Skies is located in Watauga 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 Watauga County: Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Wilkes & Johnson (TN).
Below are the counties that are near Sorrento Skies. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Sorrento Skies:
- Watauga County (The home county of Sorrento Skies)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Bamboo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Rutherwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Boone
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Sands
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Shulls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Moretz
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Norris ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Laxon
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Deep Gap
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Foscoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Stony Fork
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Vilas
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Valle Crucis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Ellendale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Little River
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Bethlehem
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Liledoun
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Scottville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Topia
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Topia is located in Alleghany County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Topia
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Brownwood
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Todd
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Fleetwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Yates
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Obids
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Creston
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- West Jefferson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Ashland is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Glendale Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Jefferson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Orion
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Roten
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Roten is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
- Wagoner
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Seven Devils
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Grandfather
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Grandfather is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Banner Elk
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Beech Mountain
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Linville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Mount Gilead
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Mount Gilead is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Whaley
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Whaley is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
- Pineola
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Newland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Vale
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Vale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Crossnore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Jonas Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Drexel
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Morganton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Rutherford College
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Linville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Linville is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linville
- Calvin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Calvin is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calvin
- Connelly Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Valdese
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Rhodhiss
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Blowing Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Mulberry
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Patterson
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Rufus
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Mortimer ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mortimer is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
- Collettsville
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Abingdon
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Lenoir
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- 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>
- Cedar Rock
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Cedar Rock is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Rock
- Population from the 2020 Census: 299 people
- Cedar Rock has also been known as:
- Cedar Rock village
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Kings Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Adako
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Adako is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adako
- McDowell County
- Ashford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Ashford is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Altapass
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Altapass is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altapass
- Grassy Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Spruce Pine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Maple Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Ferguson
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Purlear
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Wilbar
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Boomer
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Millers Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Adley
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Cricket
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Moravian Falls
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- McGrady
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- McGrady is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGrady
- Carter County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Shell Creek
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Shell Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shell Creek
- Estimated population in 2014: 21,037 people
- Heaton Creek
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Heaton Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heaton Creek
- Roan Mountain
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Burbank
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Burbank is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
- Fish Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Fish Springs is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Springs
- Buladeen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Buladeen is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buladeen
- Former names for Buladeen:
- Colesville
- Magnetic
- Hampton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Trade
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Norris
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Norris is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
- Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Mountain City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- High Health ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- High Health is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
- Fuller
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Butler
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Shingletown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Winchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Winchester is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
- Grayson County (VA)
- Whitetop
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Washington County (VA)
- Green Cove
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Sorrento Skies, see our County-by-County Page for Sorrento Skies.
Cemeteries Near Sorrento Skies ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sorrento Skies.
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 Sorrento Skies - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Sorrento Skies covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Elrod Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Laurel Fork Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Cook Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- St. Elizabeth Catholic Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Cool Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Frye Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Green Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Edmisten Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Craig Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Moore Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Edmisten Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (577 more) ...
- Hartley Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Winkler Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Cone Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
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 Sorrento Skies in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Sorrento Skies.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Sorrento Skies, with the one closest to Sorrento Skies listed first.
- Aho
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Aho is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aho
- Bamboo
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Blowing Rock
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Rutherwood
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Boone
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Triplett
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Triplett is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triplett
- Penley ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Penley is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Penley
- Sands
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Shulls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Soda Hill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Soda Hill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soda Hill
- Kelsey
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Kelsey is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelsey
- Norris ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Solo
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Solo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Solo
- Foscoe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Meat Camp
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Meat Camp is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meat Camp
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Sorrento Skies. See our List of 1890's Communities around Sorrento Skies.
Newspapers Published in Sorrento Skies ...
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 16 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sorrento Skies.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sorrento Skies, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sorrento Skies.
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 Sorrento Skies:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Watauga County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Wilkes County
- Carter County
- Johnson County
- Grayson County
- Washington 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 Sorrento Skies, 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 from Point A (ie- Sorrento Skies) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |