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 Swan Lake (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 Swan Lake. 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 Swan Lake ...
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 occur.
Another variation: Swanlake.
- A typical abbreviation for Swan Lake: Swan Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Swan Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Swan Lake.
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.
Swan Lake is located in Knox County.
To see how the shape of Kentucky's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Knox County: Bell, Clay, Laurel & Whitley.
Below are the counties that are near Swan Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Swan Lake:
- Knox County (The home county of Swan Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Barbourville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Bryants Store
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bryants Store is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants Store
- Artemus
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Artemus is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artemus
- Heidrick
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Heidrick is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidrick
- Bimble
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Trosper
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Trosper is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trosper
- Warren
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Warren is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warren
- Cannon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cannon is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon
- Flat Lick
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Flat Lick is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Lick
- Hinkle
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Hinkle is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hinkle
- Wheeler
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wheeler is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Girdler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Girdler is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdler
- Bell County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Ingram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ingram is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingram
- Fourmile
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Fourmile is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fourmile
- Frakes
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Frakes is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frakes
- Pineville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Pearl
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pearl is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pearl
- Dorton Branch
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Dorton Branch is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorton Branch
- Straight Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Straight Creek is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Straight Creek
- Wasioto
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wasioto is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasioto
- Arjay
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Arjay is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arjay
- Capito
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Capito is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capito
- Fonde
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Fonde is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fonde
- Edgewood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Edgewood is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgewood
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Brightshade
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brightshade is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brightshade
- Hima
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Hima is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hima
- Ashers Fork
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Ashers Fork is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashers Fork
- Garrard
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Garrard is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garrard
- Goose Rock
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Goose Rock is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goose Rock
- Urban
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Urban is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Urban
- Manchester
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sidell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Sidell is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sidell
- Larue
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Larue is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larue
- Benge
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Benge is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benge
- Fogertown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Fogertown is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fogertown
- Fall Rock
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Fall Rock is located in Clay County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Rock
- Harlan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Tacky Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Tacky Town is located in Harlan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tacky Town
- Coldiron
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pathfork
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Pathfork is located in Harlan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pathfork
- South Wallins
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- South Wallins is located in Harlan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Wallins
- Wallins Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Wallins Creek is located in Harlan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallins Creek
- Estimated population in 2016: 146 people
- Twila
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Twila is located in Harlan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twila
- Laurel County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Hopewell
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Hopewell is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Dorthae
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Dorthae is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorthae
- Lily
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lily is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lily
- Keavy
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Keavy is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keavy
- Bush
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Bush is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bush
- Lake
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Lake is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake
- Marydell
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Marydell is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marydell
- Sublimity City
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Sublimity City is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublimity City
- Maplesville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Maplesville is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maplesville
- London
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Pittsburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Pittsburg is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
- Bernstadt
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bernstadt is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bernstadt
- Leslie County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Roark
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roark is located in Leslie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roark
- Warbranch
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Warbranch is located in Leslie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warbranch
- Helton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Helton is located in Leslie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helton
- Essie
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Essie is located in Leslie County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Essie
- McCreary County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Pine Knot
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Whitley City
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Pulaski County
- Mount Victory
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Victory is located in Pulaski County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Victory
- Whitley County
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Louden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Louden is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louden
- Siler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Siler is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Siler
- Woodbine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodbine is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine
- Verne
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Verne is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Verne
- Rockholds
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Rockholds is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockholds
- Nevisdale
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Nevisdale is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nevisdale
- Corbin
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Packard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Packard is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Packard
- Emlyn
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Emlyn is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emlyn
- Williamsburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant View
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pleasant View is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
- Liberty
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Liberty is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty
- Campbell County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Jellico
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Morley
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Morley is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
- White Oak
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- White Oak is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Habersham
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Habersham is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Habersham
- Stockville ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Stockville is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockville
- Flat Hollow
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Flat Hollow is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Hollow
- Fincastle
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Fincastle is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fincastle
- Population from the 2010 Census: 1,618 people
- Elk Valley
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Elk Valley is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Valley
- Estimated population in 2014: 565 people
- Victory
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Victory is located in Campbell County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victory
- Claiborne County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Pruden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Pruden is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pruden
- Hamlin Town
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Hamlin Town is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamlin Town
- Clairfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Clairfield is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clairfield
- Cumberland Gap
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Harrogate
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Shawanee
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Shawanee is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawanee
- Minton Mill
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Minton Mill is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minton Mill
- Estimated population in 2014: 527 people
- Speedwell
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Goin
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Goin is located in Claiborne County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goin
- Union County (TN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Braden
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Braden is located in Union County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Braden
- Estimated population in 2014: 277 people
- Phebe ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Phebe is located in Union County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phebe
- Long Hollow ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Long Hollow is located in Union County (TN)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Hollow
- Lee County (VA)
- The following are listed by their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Wheeler
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Wheeler is located in Lee County (VA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
- Ewing
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Swan Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Swan Lake.
Cemeteries Near Swan Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swan Lake.
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 Swan Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Swan Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Prichard Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Adams Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
- Hampton Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Miles Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Faulkner Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Fuson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Mackey Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Evans Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Bryant Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
- West Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Glasscock Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Smith - Hicks Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (631 more) ...
- Warfield Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Powell Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Hawn Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawn Cemetery
- The Hawn Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fisher Cemetery
- Jacob Hawn Cemetery
- Shupe - Hawn Cemetery
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>
While we didn't find Swan Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Swan Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Swan Lake, with the one closest to Swan Lake listed first.
- Bryants Store
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Bryants Store is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryants Store
- Barbourville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Artemus
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Artemus is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Artemus
- Emanuel
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
- Emanuel is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emanuel
- Carpenter
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Carpenter is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carpenter
- Flat Lick
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Flat Lick is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Lick
- Ingram
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Ingram is located in Bell County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ingram
- Gray
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Girdler
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Girdler is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Girdler
- Woodbine
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Woodbine is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbine
- Rockholds
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Rockholds is located in Whitley County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockholds
- Crane Nest
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Crane Nest is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crane Nest
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Fletcher
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Fletcher is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fletcher
- Tuttle
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Tuttle is located in Laurel County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuttle
- Walker
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Walker is located in Knox County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walker
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Swan Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Swan Lake.
Newspapers Published in Swan Lake ...
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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swan Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swan Lake, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Swan Lake.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Swan Lake:
- Websites specific to Kentucky
- Pages specific to Knox County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Bell County
- Clay County
- Harlan County
- Laurel County
- Leslie County
- McCreary County
- Pulaski County
- Whitley County
- Campbell County
- Claiborne County
- Union County
- Lee County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Kentucky
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 Swan Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <3> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Swan Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |