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 Ben Avon (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 Ben Avon. 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.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Ben Avon is located in Spartanburg County.
To see how the shape of South Carolina's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Spartanburg County: Polk (NC), Rutherford (NC), Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Ben Avon. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Ben Avon:
- Spartanburg County (The home county of Ben Avon)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Glendale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Drayton
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Camp Croft
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Camp Croft is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Croft
- Zion Hill
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Zion Hill is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Zion Hill
- Spartanburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Converse
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Whitney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitney is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- White Stone
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Hub City Courts
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Hub City Courts is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hub City Courts
- Una
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Saxon
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Saxon is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxon
- Arcadia
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Macedonia
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Chesnee
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Gaffney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Blacksburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Kings Creek
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Chester County
- Cabal
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Cabal is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabal
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Greer
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pelham
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Five Forks
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Five Forks is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Chick Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Gowensville
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Woodland Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- East Gate Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- O'Neal
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Taylors
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Fountain Inn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Simpsonville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wade Hampton
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
- Mauldin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Tylersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Tylersville is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Gray Court
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Green Pond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Jonesville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Colerain
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Colerain is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
- Bonham
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bonham is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
- Buffalo
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kelly
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Kelly is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
- Bailey Town ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bailey Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Union
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Sedalia
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Sedalia is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Lockhart
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Meador ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Meador is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meador
- Red Town ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Red Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Town
- York County
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Hopewell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Hopewell is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hopewell
- Hickory Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Smyrna
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Blairsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Blairsville is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blairsville
- Sharon
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Cleveland County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Cliffside
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Boiling Springs
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Earl
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Earl is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
- Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
- Mooresboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mooresboro
- Population from the 2020 Census: 316 people
- Sharon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sharon is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharon
- Brittain Village
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Brittain Village is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brittain Village
- Lattimore
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lattimore is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lattimore
- Population from the 2020 Census: 454 people
- Patterson Springs
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Patterson Springs is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
- Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
- Grover
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Dover
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Dover is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dover
- Polk County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Tryon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Columbus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Mill Spring
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Rutherford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Harris
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Holly Springs
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Henrietta
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Caroleen
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Sandy Mush
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Six Points
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Six Points is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Alexander Mills
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Shiloh
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Ellenboro
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Forest City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Bakersville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Concord
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Bostic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Ben Avon, see our County-by-County Page for Ben Avon.
Cemeteries Near Ben Avon ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ben Avon.
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 Ben Avon - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ben Avon covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Cedar Spring Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Spring Cemetery
- The Cedar Spring Cemetery has also been known as:
- Barnett Cemetery
- Cedar Spring Baptist Church Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2328569 <2>
- Bagwell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Glendale Methodist Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Greenlawn Memorial Gardens
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Cemetery Hill
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Old City Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City Cemetery
- The Old City Cemetery has also been known as:
- Freemans Cemetery
- New Colored Cemetery
- Lee Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Lincoln Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Arrowood Baptist Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Clifton Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Arkwright Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Continue List (452 more) ...
- Magnola Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Sunset Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Seay Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
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 Ben Avon in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ben Avon.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Ben Avon, with the one closest to Ben Avon listed first.
- Glendale
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
- Spartanburg
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Clifton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Converse
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Whitney
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Whitney is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Golightly
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Golightly is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golightly
- Pacolet
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Cowpens
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fairforest
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Glenn Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Glenn Springs is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Springs
- Moore
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Walnut Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Walnut Grove is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
- Continue List (16 more) ...
- Mount Zion
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
- Mount Zion is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Switzer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Switzer is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
- West Springs
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Springs is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Springs
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Ben Avon. See our List of 1890's Communities around Ben Avon.
Newspapers Published in Ben Avon ...
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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ben Avon.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ben Avon, there are papers which were published within 7 miles [11.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ben Avon.
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 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 Ben Avon:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Spartanburg County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Chester County
- Greenville County
- Laurens County
- Union County
- York County
- Cleveland County
- Polk County
- Rutherford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
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 Ben Avon, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | 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- Ben Avon) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |