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 North Holston (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 North Holston. 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 North Holston ...
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 North Holston: N. Holston
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 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.
North Holston is located in Smyth County.
To see how the shape of Virginia's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Smyth County: Bland, Grayson, Russell, Tazewell, Washington & Wythe.
Below are the counties that are near North Holston. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to North Holston:
- Smyth County (The home county of North Holston)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Broadford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Allison Gap
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Allison Gap is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allison Gap
- Cardwell Town
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Cardwell Town is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell Town
- Chilhowie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Ellendale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Seven Mile Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Adwolf
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Marion
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Mount Carmel
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Mount Carmel is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Carmel
- Atkins
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Sugar Grove
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sugar Grove is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sugar Grove
- Buchanan County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Bearwallow
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bearwallow is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bearwallow
- Council
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Council is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Council
- Rowe
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rowe is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowe
- Mavisdale
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mavisdale is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mavisdale
- Height
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Height is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- Janey
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Janey is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Janey
- Leemaster
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Leemaster is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leemaster
- Jackson Flats
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in Buchanan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
- Vansant
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Dickenson County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Carrie
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Carrie is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carrie
- Bucu
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Bucu is located in Dickenson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucu
- Grayson County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Trout Dale
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Whitetop
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Flat Ridge
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Flat Ridge is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Ridge
- Rugby
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Rugby is located in Grayson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rugby
- Mouth-of-Wilson
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Russell County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Elk Garden
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Elk Garden is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Garden
- Dye
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dye is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dye
- Honaker
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Barnett
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Barnett is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnett
- Russell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Russell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
- Lebanon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Spring City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Spring City is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring City
- Artrip
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Artrip is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artrip
- Cleveland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Cleveland is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Jessees Mill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Jessees Mill is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jessees Mill
- Kiser ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Kiser is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiser
- Carterton
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Carterton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carterton
- Creswell
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Creswell is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creswell
- Tazewell County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Paintlick
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Paintlick is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paintlick
- Claypool Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Claypool Hill is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claypool Hill
- Steeleburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Pounding Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Asberrys
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Asberrys is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Asberrys
- Cedar Bluff
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Richlands
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Maxwell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Maxwell is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maxwell
- Thompson Valley
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Thompson Valley is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thompson Valley
- Raven
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Raven is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven
- Pisgah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Pisgah is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
- Red Ash
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Red Ash is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Ash
- Harman
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Harman is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harman
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Clinchburg
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Clinchburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinchburg
- Fleet
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Glade Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Loves Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Friendship
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Friendship is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendship
- Lindell
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lindell is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindell
- Lodi
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Lodi is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lodi
- Glenford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Glenford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenford
- Masada
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Masada is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Masada
- Lowland
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Lowland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowland
- Brumley Gap
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Brumley Gap is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brumley Gap
- Damascus
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Drowning Ford
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Drowning Ford is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drowning Ford
- Wythe County
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Rural Retreat
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Crockett
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Speedwell
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Speedwell is located in Wythe County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Speedwell
- Ashe County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Grayson
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Grayson is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
- Apple Grove
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Apple Grove is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Grove
- Sturgills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sturgills is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sturgills
- Brandon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Brandon is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandon
- Helton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Helton is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Grassy Creek
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Comet
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Comet is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Comet
- Lansing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Roten
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Roten is located in Ashe County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roten
- Johnson County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Shingletown
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Shingletown is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shingletown
- Fuller
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Fuller is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
- Dowell ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Dowell is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowell
- Estimated population in 2014: 364 people
- Winchester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Winchester is located in Johnson County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winchester
- Estimated population in 2014: 8,547 people
- Mountain City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Sullivan County (TN)
- Holston Valley
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Holston Valley is located in Sullivan County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holston Valley
- McDowell County (WV)
- The following are listed by their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Bishop
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Bishop is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop
- Newhall
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Newhall is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newhall
- Height
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Height is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Height
- Peapatch
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Peapatch is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peapatch
- War
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- War is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for War
- Population from the 2020 Census: 659 people
- Yukon
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Yukon is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yukon
- Bradshaw
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jackson Flats is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson Flats
- Paynesville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Paynesville is located in McDowell County (WV)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paynesville
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to North Holston, see our County-by-County Page for North Holston.
Cemeteries Near North Holston ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Holston.
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 North Holston - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for North Holston covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Union Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Littrell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Brown Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Scott Hill Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Harper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Fullen Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- McCreadys Gap Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Walker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Whitely Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Roberts Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Blevins Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Allison Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Continue List (899 more) ...
- Elizabeth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- McAllister Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Humphrey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
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 North Holston in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of North Holston.
These communities are listed based on their distance from North Holston, with the one closest to North Holston listed first.
- Broadford
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Broadford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broadford
- Saltville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Longhollow ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Longhollow is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longhollow
- Tannersville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tannersville is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tannersville
- Chilhowie
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Glade Spring
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Seven Mile Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Seven Mile Ford is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Mile Ford
- Ellendale
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Ellendale is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellendale
- Belfast
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Belfast is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belfast
- Steeleburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Steeleburg is located in Tazewell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steeleburg
- Clifton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Clifton is located in Russell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Emory
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Loves Mill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
- Loves Mill is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loves Mill
- Adwolf
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Adwolf is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adwolf
- Chatham Hill
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Chatham Hill is located in Smyth County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chatham Hill
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around North Holston. See our List of 1890's Communities around North Holston.
Newspapers Published in North Holston ...
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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Holston.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Holston, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Holston.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 North Holston:
- Websites specific to Virginia
- Pages specific to Smyth County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Buchanan County
- Dickenson County
- Grayson County
- Russell County
- Tazewell County
- Washington County
- Wythe County
- Ashe County
- Johnson County
- Sullivan County
- McDowell County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Virginia
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 North Holston, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- North Holston) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |