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 Woolsey (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 Woolsey. 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.
Woolsey is located in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County: Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McDowell, Rutherford, Transylvania & Yancey.
Below are the counties that are near Woolsey. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Woolsey:
- Buncombe County (The home county of Woolsey)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Asheville
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Woodfin
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Emma
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Emma is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emma
- Redwood Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Redwood Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redwood Village
- Sayles Village
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sayles Village is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sayles Village
- West Asheville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Asheville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Asheville
- Riceville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Stoney Knob
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Stoney Knob is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoney Knob
- Shiloh
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Shiloh is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Swannanoa Hills
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Swannanoa Hills is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swannanoa Hills
- Biltmore Forest
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Biltmore Forest is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore Forest
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,431 people
- Azalea
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Haywood County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Morning Star
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- Morning Star is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morning Star
- Canton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- West Canton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- West Canton is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Canton
- Cruso
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Cruso is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cruso
- Clyde
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Bethel
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bethel is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Sonoma ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Sonoma is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonoma
- Lake Junaluska
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Lavinia ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Lavinia is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavinia
- Teague ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Teague is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Teague
- Waynesville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Hazelwood
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Hazelwood is located in Haywood County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazelwood
- Henderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Fletcher
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mills River
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Naples
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Naples is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Naples
- Gerton
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Mountain Home
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Bearwallow
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bearwallow is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Balfour
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Balfour is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Balfour
- Cumberland Village
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Cumberland Village is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumberland Village
- Holly Springs
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Holly Springs is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Horse Shoe
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Pinehurst
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Pinehurst is located in Henderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinehurst
- Bat Cave
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Madison County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Ivy
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Ivy is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivy
- Rollins
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Rollins is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollins
- Mars Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Petersburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Petersburg is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Petersburg
- Marshall
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bethel is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
- Walnut
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Walnut is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut
- Trust
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Trust is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trust
- Spring Creek
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Spring Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Creek
- Foster Creek
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Foster Creek is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Creek
- Stackhouse
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Stackhouse is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stackhouse
- Bluff
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Bluff is located in Madison County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluff
- McDowell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Dendron
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Dendron is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dendron
- Lackey Town
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Lackey Town is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lackey Town
- Moffitt Hill
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Moffitt Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moffitt Hill
- Old Fort
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Greenlee
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Greenlee is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenlee
- Providence
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Sugar Hill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Sugar Hill is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Hill
- West Marion
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- West Marion is located in McDowell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Marion
- Little Switzerland
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Polk County
- Melrose
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Melrose is located in Polk County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Rutherford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Village of Chimney Rock Village
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Village of Chimney Rock Village is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Village of Chimney Rock Village
- Estimated population in 2015: 108 people
- Chimney Rock
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Lake Lure
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Otter Creek ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Otter Creek is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otter Creek
- Whitehouse
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Whitehouse is located in Rutherford County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehouse
- Transylvania County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Penrose
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pisgah Forest
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Seven Springs
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Brevard
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Yancey County
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Murchison
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Murchison is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murchison
- Pensacola
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Pensacola is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pensacola
- Concord
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Concord is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Low Gap
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Low Gap is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Gap
- Hamrick
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Hamrick is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamrick
- Higgins
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Higgins is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higgins
- Burnsville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Celo
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Celo is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celo
- Micaville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Ramseytown
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Ramseytown is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramseytown
- Day Book
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Day Book is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Day Book
- Newdale
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Newdale is located in Yancey County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newdale
- Cocke County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Tom Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Tom Town is located in Cocke County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tom Town
- Wolf Creek
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Wolf Creek is located in Cocke County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Creek
- Unicoi County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Flag Pond
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Flag Pond is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flag Pond
- Loganton ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Loganton is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
- Clear Branch
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Clear Branch is located in Unicoi County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Branch
- Former name for Clear Branch:
- Kittyton
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Woolsey, see our County-by-County Page for Woolsey.
Cemeteries Near Woolsey ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Woolsey.
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 Woolsey - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Woolsey covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Riverside Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside Cemetery
- The Riverside Cemetery has also been known as:
- Asheville Cemetery
- City of Asheville Riverside Cemetery
- Lewis Memorial Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Violet Hill Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Fore - Rutledge Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fore - Rutledge Cemetery
- The Fore - Rutledge Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fore Cemetery
- Smith Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Green Hills Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Old Macedonia Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Rhodes Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Rich Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Cedar Hill Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Woodlawn Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hughey Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hughey Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Hughey Cemetery is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the northeast of Asheville.
- The Hughey Cemetery has also been known as:
- Huey Cemetery
- Hughey / Rice Cemetery
- Rice / Hughey Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #47729 <3>
- Continue List (498 more) ...
- Ashelawn Gardens of Memory
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashelawn Gardens of Memory
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Ashelawn Gardens of Memory is a large cemetery that is located 5 miles [8 km]<2> to the northwest of Asheville.
- The Ashelawn Gardens of Memory has also been known as:
- Ashelawn Gardens Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #46749 <3>
- Olivett Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Capps Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 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.<4>
While we didn't find Woolsey in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Woolsey.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Woolsey, with the one closest to Woolsey listed first.
- Grace
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Grace is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
- Asheville
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Emma
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Emma is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emma
- Murphy Junction
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Murphy Junction is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy Junction
- West Asheville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- West Asheville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Asheville
- Biltmore
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Biltmore is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biltmore
- Riceville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Riceville is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riceville
- Sulphur Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Sulphur Springs is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Azalea
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Azalea is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Azalea
- Weaverville
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Juno
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Juno is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Juno
- Acton
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Acton is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acton
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Buena Vista
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Buena Vista is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
- Beech
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Beech is located in Buncombe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beech
- Alexander
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Woolsey. See our List of 1890's Communities around Woolsey.
Newspapers Published in Woolsey ...
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 98 newspapers that have been published in the area around Woolsey.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Woolsey, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<2>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Woolsey.
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 either 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 Woolsey:
- Websites specific to North Carolina
- Pages specific to Buncombe County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Madison County
- McDowell County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Transylvania County
- Yancey County
- Cocke County
- Unicoi 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> | 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 from Point A (ie- Woolsey) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <3> | 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. |
| <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 Woolsey, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |