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 Vilas (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 Vilas. 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.
Vilas 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 Vilas. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vilas:
- Watauga County (The home county of Vilas)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Valle Crucis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Matney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Matney is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Matney
- Rominger
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Rominger is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rominger
- Watauga Falls ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Watauga Falls is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga Falls
- Boone
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Mabel
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Mabel is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mabel
- Foscoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shulls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Norris ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Sands
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Zionville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Alleghany County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Laurel Springs
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Scottville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Ashe County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Todd
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Brownwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Brownwood is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownwood
- Fleetwood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Ashland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ashland is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland
- Creston
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Yates
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Yates is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yates
- Roten
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Roten is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
- West Jefferson
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Grayson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Grayson is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- Comet
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Comet is located in Ashe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Jefferson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Warrensville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Avery County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Seven Devils
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Beech Mountain
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Banner Elk
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Gilead
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Mount Gilead is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
- Sugar Mountain
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
- Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
- Whaley
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Whaley is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whaley
- Grandfather
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grandfather is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grandfather
- Population from the 2020 Census: 24 people
- Elk Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Linville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Montezuma is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montezuma
- Newland
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vale
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Vale is located in Avery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Jonas Ridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Chesterfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Chesterfield is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chesterfield
- Caldwell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Blowing Rock
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Mulberry
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mulberry is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
- Mortimer ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mortimer is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mortimer
- Rufus
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Rufus is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
- Patterson
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Patterson is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson
- Cilley ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Cilley is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cilley
- Collettsville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Adako
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Adako is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adako
- Muttenz ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Muttenz is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muttenz
- Abingdon
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Abingdon is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abingdon
- Emanuel ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Emanuel is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Kings Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Kings Creek is located in Caldwell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kings Creek
- McDowell County
- Ashford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Ashford is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashford
- Mitchell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
- Buladean
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Buladean is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buladean
- Bakersville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Altapass
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Altapass is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altapass
- Herrell ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Herrell is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
- Spruce Pine
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Grassy Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Grassy Creek is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grassy Creek
- Penland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Red Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Red Hill is located in Mitchell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Hill
- Wilkes County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Hendrix ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hendrix is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hendrix
- Maple Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Maple Springs is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple Springs
- Ferguson
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Pleasant
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Mount Pleasant is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
- Wilbar
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Wilbar is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilbar
- Purlear
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Purlear is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Purlear
- Millers Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- McGrady
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- McGrady is located in Wilkes County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McGrady
- Carter County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Shell Creek
(15 miles [24.1 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
- Fish Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Fish Springs is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fish Springs
- Roan Mountain
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Heaton Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Heaton Creek is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heaton Creek
- Burbank
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Burbank is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burbank
- Buladeen
(20 miles [32.2 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
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Siam
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Siam is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siam
- Hunter
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Hunter is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
- Elizabethton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gap Run
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Gap Run is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gap Run
- Tolley Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Tolley Town is located in Carter County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolley Town
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Trade
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Norris
(9 miles [14.5 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
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
- Mountain City
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- High Health ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- High Health is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Butler
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Fuller
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Shingletown
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Winchester
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Sullivan County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Fishdam ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Fishdam is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishdam
- Holston Valley
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Holston Valley is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holston Valley
- Cedar Grove
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Cedar Grove is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Grove
- Ruthton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Ruthton is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruthton
- Childress
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Childress is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childress
- Hunter Hills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Hunter Hills is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter Hills
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,854 people
- Unicoi County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Limestone Cove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Limestone Cove is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Limestone Cove
- Whispering Pines
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Whispering Pines is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
- Grayson County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Whitetop
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Rugby
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Washington County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Damascus
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Green Cove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Green Cove is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Cove
- Alvarado
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Alvarado is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvarado
- Drowning Ford
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Green Spring
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Green Spring is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Spring
- Masada
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Masada is located in Washington County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vilas, see our County-by-County Page for Vilas.
Cemeteries Near Vilas ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vilas.
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 Vilas - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vilas covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Howell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Baird Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Cove Creek Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Greer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Adams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Hollars Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Mast Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Henson Chapel Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Danner Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Smith Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Shull Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Continue List (755 more) ...
- Skyland Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Culler Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pleasant Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
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.<2>
The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vilas had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vilas, with the one closest to Vilas listed first.
- Sugar Grove
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Valle Crucis
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Amantha
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Amantha is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amantha
- Sweetwater
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Sweetwater is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
- Watauga Falls ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Watauga Falls is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watauga Falls
- Foscoe
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shulls Mill
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Shulls Mill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shulls Mill
- Boone
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Leander
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Leander is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leander
- Sands
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sands is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sands
- Norris ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Norris is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
- Reese
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Reese is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reese
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Meat Camp
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Meat Camp is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meat Camp
- Zionville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Soda Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Soda Hill is located in Watauga County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soda Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vilas. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vilas.
Newspapers Published in Vilas ...
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 17 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vilas.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vilas, there are papers which were published within 15 miles [24.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vilas.
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 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 Vilas:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Watauga County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Alleghany County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Burke County
- Caldwell County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Wilkes County
- Carter County
- Johnson County
- Sullivan County
- Unicoi 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> | 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 Vilas, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Vilas) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |