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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 Battle 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 Battle 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 Battle 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 have occurred.

Another variation: Battlecreek.

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

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.

Battle Creek is located in Oconee County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Oconee County: Franklin (GA), Habersham (GA), Hart (GA), Rabun (GA), Stephens (GA), Jackson (NC), Macon (NC), Transylvania (NC), Anderson & Pickens.

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

  • Oconee County     (The home county of Battle Creek)
  • Anderson County
  • Pickens County
  • Franklin County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Gumlog
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gumlog have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gumlog
      • Gumlog is located in Franklin County (GA)
    • Parhams
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parhams. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parhams
      • Parhams is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Parhams
      • From Battle Creek to Parhams
    • Lavonia
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lavonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lavonia
      • Lavonia is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,187 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lavonia <1>
    • Carnesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Plainview
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plainview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainview
      • Plainview is located in Franklin County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plainview
      • From Battle Creek to Plainview
    • Canon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Habersham County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Tugaloo
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tugaloo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tugaloo
      • Tugaloo is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tugaloo
      • From Battle Creek to Tugaloo
    • Turnerville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnerville
      • Turnerville is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turnerville <1>
    • Clarkesville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hills
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hills
      • Hills is located in Habersham County (GA)
    • Demorest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Airy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cornelia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Mauldins ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mauldins have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mauldins
      • Mauldins is located in Habersham County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 225 people
    • Baldwin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Alto
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Raoul
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Raoul have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raoul
      • Raoul is located in Habersham County (GA)
  • Hart County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Bowersville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Maretts
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Reed Creek
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reed Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reed Creek
      • Reed Creek is located in Hart County (GA)
  • Rabun County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Tallulah Falls
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tallulah Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallulah Falls
      • Tallulah Falls is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tallulah Falls <1>
    • Lakemont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Wiley
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
      • Wiley is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiley <1>
    • Antioch
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Clayton
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Tiger
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain City
      • Mountain City is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,113 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain City <1>
    • Germany
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Germany. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Germany
      • Germany is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Germany
      • From Battle Creek to Germany
    • Dillard
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Sky Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sky Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sky Valley
      • Sky Valley is located in Rabun County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sky Valley <1>
  • Stephens County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Jarrett
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jarrett have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jarrett
      • Jarrett is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,974 people
    • Toccoa Falls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Toccoa Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toccoa Falls
      • Toccoa Falls is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toccoa Falls <1>
    • Toccoa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Carnes Creek
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carnes Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carnes Creek
      • Carnes Creek is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Estimated population in 2019: 601 people
    • Eastanollee
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Avalon
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Avalon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalon
      • Avalon is located in Stephens County (GA)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 226 people
    • Martin
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Towns County (GA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Tate City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tate City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tate City
      • Tate City is located in Towns County (GA)
    • Hiawassee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hunt ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Hunt. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hunt
      • Hunt is located in Towns County (GA)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Hunt
      • From Battle Creek to Hunt
  • White County (GA)
  • Jackson County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek listed first.
    • Highlands
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Cashiers
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Erastus
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Erastus. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erastus
      • Erastus is located in Jackson County (NC)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Erastus
      • From Battle Creek to Erastus
    • Glenville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenville
      • Glenville is located in Jackson County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glenville <1>
  • Macon County (NC)
  • Transylvania County (NC)
    • Sapphire
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sapphire have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapphire
      • Sapphire is located in Transylvania County (NC)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sapphire <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Battle Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Battle 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.

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 Battle Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Battle Creek, with the one closest to Battle Creek 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Battle Creek had a population of 42 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Longcreek
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Tallulah Falls
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tallulah Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallulah Falls
    • Tallulah Falls is located in Rabun County (GA)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Tallulah Falls <1>
  • Tugaloo
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tugaloo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tugaloo
    • Tugaloo is located in Habersham County (GA)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Tugaloo
    • From Battle Creek to Tugaloo
  • Turnerville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Turnerville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turnerville
    • Turnerville is located in Habersham County (GA)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Turnerville <1>
  • Whetstone
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whetstone have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whetstone
    • Whetstone is located in Oconee County
  • Harbin ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harbin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbin
    • Harbin is located in Oconee County
  • Clayton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Tiger
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Mountain Rest
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Westminster
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Walhalla
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Anandale ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anandale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anandale
    • Anandale is located in Habersham County (GA)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • West Union
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Pine Mountain
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Mountain
      • Pine Mountain is located in Rabun County (GA)
    • Retreat
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Retreat have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Retreat
      • Retreat is located in Oconee County

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

Newspapers Published in Battle 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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Battle Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Battle Creek, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Battle Creek.

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 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 Battle Creek:

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

The official website for Oconee County: www.oconeesc.com/

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/

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 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.
<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>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 from Point A (ie- Battle Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Battle Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.7498, Longitude: -83.2893    
<6>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 Battle Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 30 Mar 2025