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 Thankful (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 Thankful. 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 southeast 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 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 east 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.
Thankful is located in Wilkes 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 Wilkes County: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Caldwell, Iredell, Surry, Watauga & Yadkin.
Below are the counties that are near Thankful. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thankful:
- Wilkes County (The home county of Thankful)
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Boomer
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Ferguson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Pleasant
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Adley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Moravian Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stokes ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Stokes is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stokes
- Purlear
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Millers Creek
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Cricket
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Cricket is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cricket
- Wilkesboro
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Maple Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Fletcher ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Fletcher is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Alexander County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Ellendale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Vashti
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Liledoun
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Liledoun is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liledoun
- Little River
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Taylorsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Rocky Springs is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Springs
- Isenhour Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Isenhour Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isenhour Park
- Midway
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Midway is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Fairview Park
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview Park is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview Park
- Hiddenite
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Millersville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Millersville is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersville
- Bethlehem
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Bethlehem is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethlehem
- Taylorsville Beach
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Taylorsville Beach is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylorsville Beach
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Scottville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Roaring Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Obids
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Obids is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Obids
- Yates
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Glendale Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Brownwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Fleetwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Transou
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Transou is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Transou
- Todd
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Orion
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Orion is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orion
- Wagoner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Wagoner is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wagoner
- West Jefferson
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jefferson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Avery County
- Seven Devils
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Rhodhiss
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Hildebran
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Connelly Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Icard
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Rutherford College
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Valdese
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Drexel
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Drexel is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drexel
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,861 people
- Morganton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Kings Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Draco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Cedar Rock
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- 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
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Downsville ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Downsville is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
- Patterson
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Lenoir
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- 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>
- Hudson
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Hudson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hudson
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,703 people
- Former name for Hudson:
- Hudsonville
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hudson <1>
- Concord ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Concord is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Northlakes
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Northlakes is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlakes
- Granite Falls
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Sawmills
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Sawmills is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawmills
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,156 people
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- North Hickory
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- North Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hickory
- Saint Stephens
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Saint Stephens is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephens
- Oxford Park
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Oxford Park is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford Park
- Viewmont
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Viewmont is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewmont
- Hickory
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Hickory is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hickory
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,473 people
- Sweetwater
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Sweetwater is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Catfish
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Catfish is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catfish
- Sunrise Beach
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Sunrise Beach is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunrise Beach
- Brookford
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Brookford is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookford
- Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
- Conover
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fairbrook
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fairbrook is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbrook
- Fairgrove
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Fairgrove is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairgrove
- Long View
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Long View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long View
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,951 people
- Iredell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Love Valley
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- New Hope ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- New Hope is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Brevard ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Brevard is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Scotts
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Scotts is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotts
- Union Grove
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Olin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Olin is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olin
- Turnersburg
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Turnersburg is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnersburg
- Eufola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Eufola is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eufola
- Harmony
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Houstonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Houstonville is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Houstonville
- Statesville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Belmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Belmont is located in Iredell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Surry County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Elkin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Elkin Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Elkin Valley is located in Surry County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkin Valley
- Thurmond
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- State Road
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Watauga County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Stony Fork
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Stony Fork is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Fork
- Deep Gap
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Laxon
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Laxon is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laxon
- Bamboo
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bamboo is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bamboo
- Rutherwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherwood is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutherwood
- Moretz
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Moretz is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moretz
- Boone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sands
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Norris ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Shulls Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Foscoe
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Vilas
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Valle Crucis
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Yadkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Cycle
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cycle is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cycle
- Swan Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Swan Creek is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swan Creek
- Windsors Crossroads
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Windsors Crossroads is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windsors Crossroads
- Marler
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Marler is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marler
- Rena
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Rena is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rena
- Arlington
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Arlington is located in Yadkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
- Jonesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Hamptonville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Thankful, see our County-by-County Page for Thankful.
Cemeteries Near Thankful ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thankful.
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 Thankful - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Thankful covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Lebanon Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mt. Bethel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Kings Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Sherrill Hill Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jolly Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Oxford Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Union Tarheel Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Laytown Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Mountain Park Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Park Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain Park Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Wilkesboro.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #48172 <2>
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Carmel Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Old Bethany Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (201 more) ...
- Bentley Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Cherry Grove Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Blue Ridge Memorial Park
(13 miles [20.9 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.<4>
While we didn't find Thankful in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Thankful.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Thankful, with the one closest to Thankful listed first.
- Boomer
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Boomer is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boomer
- Elkville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Elkville is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkville
- Kings Creek
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- Ready Branch
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Ready Branch is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ready Branch
- Moravian Falls
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Adley
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Adley is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adley
- Draco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Draco is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draco
- Ellendale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Ellendale is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Purlear
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Little River
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Little River is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little River
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Taylorsville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Vashti
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Vashti is located in Alexander County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vashti
- Maple Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Thankful. See our List of 1890's Communities around Thankful.
Newspapers Published in Thankful ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thankful.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thankful, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Thankful.
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 Thankful:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Wilkes County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- Catawba County
- Iredell County
- Surry County
- Watauga County
- Yadkin 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Thankful) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <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 Thankful, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |