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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 Big Creek (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 Big Creek. 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 Big Creek ...

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: Bigcreek.

  • A typical abbreviation for Big Creek: Big Crk. (or less commonly used: Big Ck. or Big Cr.)

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big Creek.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Big Creek is located in Steuben County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Steuben County: Allegany, Chemung, Livingston, Ontario, Schuyler, Yates, Potter (PA) & Tioga (PA).

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

  • Steuben County     (The home county of Big Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Jobs Corner
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jobs Corner is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jobs Corner
    • Howard
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Howard is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
    • Haskinville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Haskinville is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskinville
    • Stephens Mills
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Stephens Mills is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens Mills
    • North Hornell
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • North Hornell is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Hornell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 732 people
    • Hornell
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Canisteo
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Arkport
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Avoca
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Adrian
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Adrian is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
    • Cohocton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Hartsville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Hartsville is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartsville
  • Allegany County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Almond
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Bishopville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Bishopville is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishopville
    • Canaseraga
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Alfred
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Alfred is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfred
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,919 people
      • Alfred has also been known as:
      • Alfred village
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alfred <1>
    • Garwoods
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Garwoods is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwoods
    • Swain
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Swain is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swain
      • Swain has also been known as:
      • Swains Station
      • Swainsville
      • Swin
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swain <1>
    • West Almond
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • West Almond is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Almond
    • Andover
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Phillips Creek
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Phillips Creek is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillips Creek
    • Elm Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Elm Valley is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elm Valley
    • Dyke
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Dyke is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dyke
    • Aristotle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Aristotle is located in Allegany County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aristotle
  • Livingston County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Dansville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cumminsville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Cumminsville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cumminsville
    • Woodsville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Woodsville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodsville
    • Springwater
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Websters Crossing
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • West Sparta
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • West Sparta is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Sparta
    • Dalton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Groveland
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Kysorville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Kysorville is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kysorville
    • Nunda
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Nunda is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunda
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,274 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunda <1>
    • Lewis
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Lewis is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
    • Foots Corners
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Foots Corners is located in Livingston County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foots Corners
  • Ontario County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Naples
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Gulick
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Gulick is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gulick
    • Woodville
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Woodville is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
    • Canadice
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Canadice is located in Ontario County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canadice
    • West Canadice Corners
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Schuyler County
  • Wyoming County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • East Koy
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • East Koy is located in Wyoming County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Koy
    • Castile
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Yates County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Italy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Italy is located in Yates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Italy
    • Vine Valley
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Vine Valley is located in Yates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vine Valley
    • Barrington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Barrington is located in Yates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barrington
    • Keuka Park
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Potter
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Potter is located in Yates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
    • Yatesville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Yatesville is located in Yates County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yatesville
  • Potter County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • North Fork
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • North Fork is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Fork
    • North Bingham
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • North Bingham is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bingham
    • Harrison Valley
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Harrison Valley is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison Valley
    • Elmer
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Elmer is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmer
    • Genesee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Genesee is located in Potter County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genesee
  • Tioga County (PA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
    • Austinburg
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Austinburg is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austinburg
    • Knoxville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Elkland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Elkland is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elkland
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,724 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elkland <1>
    • Osceola
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Osceola is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
    • Cowanesque
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cowanesque is located in Tioga County (PA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowanesque

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

Cemeteries Near Big Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Creek.

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 Big Creek - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Big Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • O'Dell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Johnson Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • McConnell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Amos White Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Nicholson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Howard Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Allen Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Haskinsville Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Fremont Center Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Meeks Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Parkhill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (375 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Robinson Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Rural Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Big Creek had a population of 112 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Howard
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Howard is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howard
  • Haskinville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Haskinville is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haskinville
  • Stephens Mills
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Stephens Mills is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stephens Mills
  • Buena Vista
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Buena Vista is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
  • Canisteo
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Arkport
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Wallace
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Almond
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Adrian
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Adrian is located in Steuben County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adrian
  • Avoca
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
  • Burns
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Burns is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burns
  • Bishopville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Bishopville is located in Allegany County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishopville
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cohocton
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Kanona
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Rogersville
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Rogersville is located in Steuben County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogersville

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

Newspapers Published in Big Creek ...

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 108 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Creek, there are papers which were published within 23 miles [37 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Creek.

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 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 Big Creek:

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 Big Creek, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.