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 Five Forks (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 Five Forks. 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 Five Forks ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Five Forks: Five Frks.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Five Forks. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Five Forks.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.
Five Forks is located in Greenville 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 Greenville County: Henderson (NC), Polk (NC), Transylvania (NC), Abbeville, Anderson, Laurens, Pickens & Spartanburg.
Below are the counties that are near Five Forks. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Five Forks:
- Greenville County (The home county of Five Forks)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Woodland Village
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Pelham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Simpsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mauldin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- East Gate Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- Fountain Inn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Conestee
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Chick Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Taylors
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Greer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Paris
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Paris is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Hill Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Pine Hill Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Village
- Abbeville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Honea Path
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ware Shoals
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Donalds
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Powderville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Powderville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
- Piedmont
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Pelzer
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Pelzer
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
- Williamston
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Belton
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson Village
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Village
- Northlake
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Northlake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlake
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Green Pond
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Gray Court
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Princeton
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Tylersville
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Tylersville is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Simpson ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Simpson is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simpson
- Laurens
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ekom
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Ekom is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ekom
- Cold Point
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Cold Point is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cold Point
- Mount Gallagher
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Mount Gallagher is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Gallagher
- Lisbon ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Lisbon is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lisbon
- Clinton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Pickens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Dacusville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Easley
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Arial
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Arial is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arial
- Liberty
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Pickens
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Knob ‑ Historic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Knob is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
- Norris
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Spartanburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Crescent
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Crescent is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Reidville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Green Pond
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Green Pond is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Duncan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Woodruff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Brookside Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Brookside Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside Village
- Lyman
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Startex
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
- Wellford
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Moore
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Roebuck
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Franklin Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
- Franklin Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Village
- Arcadia
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Colerain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Colerain is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
- Henderson County (NC)
- Saluda
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Polk County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Tryon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Lynn
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Melrose
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Melrose is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Columbus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Five Forks, see our County-by-County Page for Five Forks.
Cemeteries Near Five Forks ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Five Forks.
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 Five Forks - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Five Forks covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Five Forks Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Vaughan Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Rocky Creek Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bethel Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Clear Springs Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- First Baptist Church of Mauldin Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
- Simpsonville Municipal Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Mayfield Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mauldin Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Old Shady Oak Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the south)
- Antioch Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Edgewood Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (392 more) ...
- Hudson Family Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Standing Springs Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bethany Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
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.<4>
While we didn't find Five Forks in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Five Forks.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Five Forks, with the one closest to Five Forks listed first.
- Batesville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Batesville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesville
- Pelham
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Mauldin
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Simpsonville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Cashville
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)
- Cashville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashville
- Fountain Inn
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Reidville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chick Springs
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- Taylors
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Greer
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
- Fairview
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Fairview is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Duncan
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Woodruff
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Switzer
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Switzer is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Five Forks. See our List of 1890's Communities around Five Forks.
Newspapers Published in Five Forks ...
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 4 newspapers that have been published in the area around Five Forks.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Five Forks, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Five Forks.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Five Forks:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Greenville County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Abbeville County
- Anderson County
- Laurens County
- Pickens County
- Spartanburg County
- Union County
- Henderson County
- Polk 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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Five Forks) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Five Forks, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |