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 Washington Heights (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 Washington Heights. 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 Washington Heights ...
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 Washington Heights: Washington Hts. (in Canada, 'Hgts.' is the more common abbreviation.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Washington Heights. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Washington Heights.
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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.
Washington Heights is located in Cleveland 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 Cleveland County: Burke, Gaston, Lincoln, Rutherford, Cherokee (SC) & York (SC).
Below are the counties that are near Washington Heights. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Washington Heights:
- Cleveland County (The home county of Washington Heights)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Shelby
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Village Square Townhouses
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Brittain Village
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
- Briarwood Townhouses
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Briarwood Townhouses is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Briarwood Townhouses
- Patterson Springs
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Patterson Springs is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
- Elizabeth City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Elizabeth City is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth City
- Light Oak
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Light Oak is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light Oak
- Dover
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dover is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Durbro ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Durbro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbro
- Pleasant Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Hill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Sharon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Earl
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Earl is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
- Stubbs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Stubbs is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Burke County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Camp Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Camp Creek is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Ramsey
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Ramsey is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
- Shoups Ford
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Shoups Ford is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shoups Ford
- Enola
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Enola is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enola
- Yellow Gap
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Yellow Gap is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yellow Gap
- Brindletown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brindletown is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brindletown
- Rollins ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rollins is located in Burke County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Catawba County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Cooksville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Cooksville is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cooksville
- Banoak
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Banoak is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banoak
- Plateau
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Plateau is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plateau
- Propst Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Propst Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Propst Crossroads
- Blackburn
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Blackburn is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blackburn
- Rhoney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Rhoney is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rhoney
- Advent Crossroads
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Advent Crossroads is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Advent Crossroads
- Maiden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Meadow Brook Village
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Meadow Brook Village is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadow Brook Village
- Providence Mill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Providence Mill is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence Mill
- Mountain View
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mountain View is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
- Duan
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Duan is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duan
- Startown
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Startown is located in Catawba County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Startown
- Gaston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Dellview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Dellview is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dellview
- Population from the 2010 Census: 13 people
- Cherryville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Perry
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Perry is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry
- Tryon
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Tryon is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tryon
- Bessemer City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- South Gastonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- South Gastonia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
- Gastonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Dallas
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- High Shoals
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- High Shoals is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Shoals
- Population from the 2020 Census: 757 people
- Ranlo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- Smyre
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Begonia ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Begonia is located in Gaston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
- Lowell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Lincoln County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- North Brook ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- North Brook is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Brook
- Crouse
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Crouse is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
- Hulls Crossroads
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Hulls Crossroads is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hulls Crossroads
- Laurel Hill
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Laurel Hill is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Laurel Hill
- Vale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Henry
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Henry is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henry
- Lincolnton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Boger City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Boger City is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boger City
- Iron Station
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Machpelah
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- McDowell County
- Mountain Home ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Mountain Home is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Home
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Six Points
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Six Points is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Ellenboro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Caroleen
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Henrietta
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Hollis
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Hollis is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollis
- Concord
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Sandy Mush
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Washburn
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Washburn is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washburn
- Alexander Mills
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Bostic
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Forest City
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Harris
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Sunshine
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sunshine is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunshine
- Cherokee County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Blacksburg
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- East Gaffney
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Kings Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Gaffney
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Chesnee
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Spartanburg County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Cowpens
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- 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>
- Mayo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Brooklyn
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Brooklyn is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brooklyn
- Clifton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Converse
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Pacolet Mills
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Hill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Zion Hill is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill
- Central Pacolet
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Central Pacolet is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Pacolet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
- Glendale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pacolet
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pacolet is located in Spartanburg County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pacolet
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,604 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pacolet <1>
- Fingerville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Boiling Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Drayton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Union County (SC)
- Jonesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- York County (SC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Smyrna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Bowling Green
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Zadok is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zadok
- Hickory Grove
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Clover
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Filbert
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Filbert is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
- Hopewell
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Hopewell is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Sharon
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- York
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Blairsville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blairsville is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Lake Wylie
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Newport
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Newport is located in York County (SC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Washington Heights, see our County-by-County Page for Washington Heights.
Cemeteries Near Washington Heights ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Washington Heights.
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 Washington Heights - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Washington Heights covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Webb Memorial Lawns
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Sulphur Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Sunset Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Ellis Chapel Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- Patterson Springs Baptist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Patterson Springs Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Elizabeth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Royster Memorial Park
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Side Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Sharon Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant Hill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Ross Grove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Continue List (326 more) ...
- New Hope Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Adams Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Adams Cemetery is located outside and to the northeast of Earl.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2247407 <2>
- Archibald Graham Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
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 Washington Heights in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Washington Heights.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Washington Heights, with the one closest to Washington Heights listed first.
- Shelby
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Sharon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Durbro ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Durbro is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbro
- Earl
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Earl is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
- Stubbs
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Stubbs is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stubbs
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Grover
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Elbethel ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Elbethel is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbethel
- Lattimore
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Boiling Springs
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Nicholsville ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Nicholsville is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholsville
- Fancy ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Fancy is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fancy
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Waco
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Waco is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waco
- Population from the 2020 Census: 319 people
- Beam Mill
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Beam Mill is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beam Mill
- Double Shoals
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Double Shoals is located in Cleveland County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Double Shoals
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Washington Heights. See our List of 1890's Communities around Washington Heights.
Newspapers Published in Washington Heights ...
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 Washington Heights.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Washington Heights, 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 Washington Heights.
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 Washington Heights:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Cleveland County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Burke County
- Catawba County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- McDowell County
- Rutherford County
- Cherokee County
- Spartanburg County
- Union County
- York 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 Washington Heights, 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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Washington Heights) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |