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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 Union (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 Union. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.

Union 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 Union. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Union:

  • Rutherford County     (The home county of Union)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Rutherfordton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Shiloh
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Shiloh is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
    • Bakersville
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Bakersville is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
    • Spindale
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ruth
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
      • Ruth is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruth
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 400 people
    • Green Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
    • Holly Springs
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
    • Alexander Mills
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
    • Forest City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Sandy Mush
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
    • Harris
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Harris is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
    • Bostic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Concord
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Concord is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
  • Buncombe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Fairview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ridgecrest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Black Mountain
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Montreat
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Swannanoa
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Walkertown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Walkertown is located in Buncombe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walkertown
  • Burke County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Brindletown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Brindletown is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
    • Rollins ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Rollins is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
    • Parkhill
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Parkhill is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parkhill
    • Glen Alpine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
    • Camp Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Camp Creek is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
    • Enola
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Enola is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
    • Ramsey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Ramsey is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
    • Shoups Ford
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
  • Cleveland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Cliffside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Cliffside is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
    • Byersville ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Byersville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
    • Mooresboro
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
    • New House
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • New House is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New House
    • Boiling Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Lattimore
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
    • Flint Hill ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
    • Polkville
      (20 miles [32.2 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Campcall is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campcall
    • Kingstown
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Kingstown is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingstown
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 682 people
    • Delight
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Delight is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delight
    • Erwinsville ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
    • Cleveland Mills ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Cleveland Mills is located in Cleveland County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland Mills
  • Henderson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Bat Cave
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Baxter
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Baxter is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baxter
    • Saluda
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Bearwallow
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
    • Dana
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Dana is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dana
    • Gerton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Upward
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Upward is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
    • East Flat Rock
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • U-No
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • U-No is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for U-No
    • Zirconia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Barker Heights
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Barker Heights is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
    • Carolina Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Carolina Village is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carolina Village
    • Claremont
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Claremont is located in Henderson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
  • Lincoln County
    • North Brook ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • North Brook is located in Lincoln County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
  • McDowell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Vein Mountain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Vein Mountain is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vein Mountain
    • Sugar Hill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
    • Mountain Home ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
    • Glenwood
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Glenwood is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenwood
    • Providence
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Providence is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Lackey Town
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
    • Moffitt Hill
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
    • West Marion
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • West Marion is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
    • Old Fort
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenlee
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Greenlee is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
    • Patten
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Patten is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
    • Marion
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Dendron
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Dendron is located in McDowell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
  • Polk County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Mill Spring
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Columbus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Lynn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Lynn is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
    • Tryon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Melrose
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Melrose is located in Polk County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
  • Cherokee County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Chesnee
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Chesnee is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesnee
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chesnee <1>
    • Macedonia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
    • Gaffney
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaffney
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaffney <1>
    • East Gaffney
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
    • Blacksburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Greenville County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Gowensville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Gowensville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
    • Highland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Highland is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
    • Merrittsville ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Merrittsville is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrittsville
    • O'Neal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • O'Neal is located in Greenville County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
    • Tigerville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Greer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • 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>
  • Spartanburg County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union listed first.
    • Brooklyn
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
    • Fingerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Landrum
      (14 miles [22.5 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>
    • Campobello
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Mayo
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Boiling Springs
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Gramling
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Inman
      (19 miles [30.6 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
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
    • Valley Falls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Southern Shops
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Whitney
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Whitney is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
    • Cowpens
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>

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

Cemeteries Near Union ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Union.

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 Union - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Union, with the one closest to Union 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 Union in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Union.

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

  • Mack ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Mack is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mack
  • Rutherfordton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Green Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Hill is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Hill
  • Forest City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Sandy Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Sandy Springs is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Springs
  • Collinsville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Collinsville is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinsville
  • Bostic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Poplar Grove
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Poplar Grove is located in Polk County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Grove
  • Brooklyn
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
  • Cuba ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cuba is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
  • Henrietta
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
  • Washburn
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Washburn is located in Rutherford County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Columbus
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Fingerville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Uree
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Uree is located in Rutherford County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uree

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

Newspapers Published in Union ...

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 Union.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Union, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Union.

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 helpful 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 Union:

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 Union, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Union) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.