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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 Highland Springs (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 Highland Springs. 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 Highland Springs ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Highland Spring.

  • A typical abbreviation for Highland Springs: Highland Spgs. (or less commonly used: Highland Spngs. or Highland Sprngs.)

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.

Highland Springs is located in Barren County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Barren County: Allen, Edmonson, Hart, Metcalfe, Monroe & Warren.

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

  • Barren County     (The home county of Highland Springs)
  • Adair County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Keltner
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Keltner. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keltner
      • Keltner is located in Adair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Keltner
      • From Highland Springs to Keltner
    • Pickett
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pickett. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickett
      • Pickett is located in Adair County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pickett
      • From Highland Springs to Pickett
  • Allen County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Meador
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Meador. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
      • Meador is located in Allen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Meador
      • From Highland Springs to Meador
    • Cedar Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Yesse
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Halifax
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Halifax. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halifax
      • Halifax is located in Allen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Halifax
      • From Highland Springs to Halifax
    • Halfway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Halfway. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halfway
      • Halfway is located in Allen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Halfway
      • From Highland Springs to Halfway
    • Scottsville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scottsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scottsville
      • Scottsville is located in Allen County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,548 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Scottsville <2>
    • Holland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holland
      • Holland is located in Allen County
    • Oak Forest
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Trammel
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Trammel. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trammel
      • Trammel is located in Allen County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Trammel
      • From Highland Springs to Trammel
    • Pope
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Red Hill
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Butler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Whittinghill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Jetson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jetson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jetson
      • Jetson is located in Butler County
  • Edmonson County
  • Grayson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Wheelers Mill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Higdon
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Higdon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higdon
      • Higdon is located in Grayson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Higdon
      • From Highland Springs to Higdon
    • Peonia
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Peonia. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peonia
      • Peonia is located in Grayson County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Peonia
      • From Highland Springs to Peonia
    • Shrewsbury
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clarkson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Leitchfield
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Big Clifty
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Clifty have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Clifty
      • Big Clifty is located in Grayson County
    • Black Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Millwood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Green County
  • Hardin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Seven Corners
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Spurrier
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Upton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Upton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upton
      • Upton is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Upton <2>
    • Melrose
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Melrose. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
      • Melrose is located in Hardin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Melrose
      • From Highland Springs to Melrose
    • Flint Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Sonora
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sonora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sonora
      • Sonora is located in Hardin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 523 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sonora <2>
    • White Mills
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mills
      • White Mills is located in Hardin County
    • Nolin
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nolin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolin
      • Nolin is located in Hardin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nolin
      • From Highland Springs to Nolin
    • Summit
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Summit. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit
      • Summit is located in Hardin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Summit
      • From Highland Springs to Summit
    • White Mills Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Mills Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Mills Junction
      • White Mills Junction is located in Hardin County
  • Hart County
  • Larue County
  • Metcalfe County
  • Monroe County
  • Warren County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Highland Springs, with the one closest to Highland Springs listed first.
    • Smiths Grove
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Oakland
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 217 people
    • Martinsville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Claypool
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Gotts
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Anna
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Plum Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum Springs
      • Plum Springs is located in Warren County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 542 people
    • Richardsville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Alvaton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alvaton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alvaton
      • Alvaton is located in Warren County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alvaton <2>
    • Bowling Green
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Springhill
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springhill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springhill
      • Springhill is located in Warren County
    • Drake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Drake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Drake
      • Drake is located in Warren County

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

Cemeteries Near Highland Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Highland Springs.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

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

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

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.<5>

While we didn't find Highland Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Highland Springs.

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

  • Cave City
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Mammoth Cave
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mammoth Cave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mammoth Cave
    • Mammoth Cave is located in Edmonson County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mammoth Cave <2>
  • Rocky Hill
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Oil City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Horse Cave
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Pig
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pig have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pig
    • Pig is located in Edmonson County
  • Goodnight
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Goodnight have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goodnight
    • Goodnight is located in Barren County
  • Hays
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hays have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hays
    • Hays is located in Warren County
  • Forestville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forestville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forestville
    • Forestville is located in Hart County
  • Stockholm
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Glasgow
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Coral Hill
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Highland Springs ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Highland Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Highland Springs, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Highland Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Highland Springs:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Highland Springs. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Kentucky: https://kentucky.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>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.
<5>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 Highland Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Highland Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Highland Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1316, Longitude: -86.0257    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025