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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 Watauga (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 Watauga. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Watauga is primarily located in Carter County. A portion of Watauga extends into Washington County.

To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Carter County: Avery (NC), Mitchell (NC), Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi & Washington.

Below are the counties that are near Watauga. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Watauga:

  • Carter County     (The home county of Watauga)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Central
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Central is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central
    • Biltmore
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Elizabethton
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Pine Crest
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
      • Pine Crest is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Crest
    • Hunter
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Hunter is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunter
    • Siam
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Gap Run
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Hampton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Woodby Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Woodby Hill is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodby Hill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 2,730 people
    • Tolley Town
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Tolley Town is located in Carter County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tolley Town
    • Fish Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Buladeen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Greene County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Milburnton
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Centersville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Jearoldstown
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Rheatown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Horse Creek
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Horse Creek is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Creek
      • Estimated population in 2014: 284 people
    • Afton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Fairview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Fairview is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
    • Henshaw ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Henshaw is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henshaw
      • Estimated population in 2014: 470 people
    • Pleasant View
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Pleasant View is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,251 people
    • Tusculum
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Tusculum is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tusculum
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,669 people
    • Bolton Estates
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Bolton Estates is located in Greene County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton Estates
      • Estimated population in 2014: 5,152 people
    • Baileyton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Hawkins County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Rotherwood
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenvale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Mount Carmel
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Solitude ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Block City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Block City is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Block City
    • Frisco
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Green Village is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Village
    • Church Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Waycross
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Waycross is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waycross
      • Estimated population in 2014: 4,091 people
    • Blossom
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Chimneytop ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Chimneytop is located in Hawkins County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimneytop
    • New Canton
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Johnson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Butler
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • High Health ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • High Health is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for High Health
    • Norris
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Norris is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norris
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,652 people
    • Winchester
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Winchester is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
      • Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
    • Vaughtsville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Vaughtsville is located in Johnson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vaughtsville
    • Fuller
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Mountain City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Trade
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Shingletown
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Sullivan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Piney Flats
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Childress
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Bluff City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Lella ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Lella is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lella
    • Thom ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Thom is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thom
    • Galloway Mill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Galloway Mill is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway Mill
      • Estimated population in 2014: 665 people
    • Cedar Grove
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Colby ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Colby is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colby
    • Blountville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Sac ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sac is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sac
    • Wahoo ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Wahoo is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahoo
    • Akard Addition
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Unicoi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Whispering Pines
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Limestone Cove
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Unicoi
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Erwin
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Banner Hill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Banner Hill is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banner Hill
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,497 people
    • Bumpus Cove
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Bumpus Cove is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bumpus Cove
      • Estimated population in 2014: 729 people
    • Indian Creek ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Indian Creek is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Creek
    • Ernestville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Ernestville is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ernestville
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,311 people
    • Clear Branch
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Loganton ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Loganton is located in Unicoi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loganton
    • Flag Pond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Carnegie
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Carnegie is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
    • East Ridge
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • East Ridge is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Ridge
      • Estimated population in 2014: 21,317 people
    • Austin Village
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Austin Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Village
    • South Gate Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • South Gate Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gate Village
    • North Johnson City
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • North Johnson City is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Johnson City
    • Oakland Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Oakland Village is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland Village
    • Johnson City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Camelot Two
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Camelot Two is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camelot Two
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,582 people
    • Flourville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Oak Grove
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Oak Grove is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
    • Midway
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Midway is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Onks
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Onks is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Onks
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,715 people
  • Avery County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Mount Gilead
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Mount Gilead is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gilead
    • Elk Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Whaley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Beech Mountain
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Minneapolis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Minneapolis is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
    • Vale
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Vale is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vale
    • Banner Elk
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Chestnut Dale
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Mount Pleasant
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Mount Pleasant is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Pleasant
    • Newland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Plumtree
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Sugar Mountain
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Sugar Mountain is located in Avery County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Mountain
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 197 people
  • Mitchell County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.
    • Buladean
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Richlands
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Richlands is located in Mitchell County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richlands
    • Bailey
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Bailey is located in Mitchell County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey
    • Herrell ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Herrell is located in Mitchell County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herrell
    • Little Rock Creek ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Little Rock Creek is located in Mitchell County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Rock Creek
    • Relief
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Huntdale
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Red Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Tipton Hill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Bakersville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
  • Watauga County (NC)
  • Yancey County (NC)

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

Cemeteries Near Watauga ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Watauga.

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

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Watauga, with the one closest to Watauga listed first.

  • Houston Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Curtis Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Shell Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Scott Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Rowe Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Saylor Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Lilly Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Flarity Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Range Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Range Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Scalf Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Continue List   (975 more) ...
    • Little Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Mottern Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Curd Cemetery
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)

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, Watauga had a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Watauga had a population of 373 people.

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

  • Piney Flats
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Carnegie
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Carnegie is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnegie
  • Keenburg
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Keenburg is located in Carter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keenburg
  • Austin Springs
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Austin Springs is located in Washington County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austin Springs
  • Milligan
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Milligan is located in Carter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milligan
  • Elizabethton
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Childress
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Johnson City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Okolona
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Okolona is located in Carter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Okolona
  • Valley Forge
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Valley Forge is located in Carter County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Forge
  • Flourville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Siam
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Bluff City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Sumpter ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Sumpter is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sumpter
    • Lella ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Lella is located in Sullivan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lella

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

Newspapers Published in Watauga ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Watauga.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Watauga, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Watauga.

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 Watauga:

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 Watauga, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>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- Watauga) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.