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 Forest 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 Forest 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 Forest 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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Forest Lake: Forest Lk.
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Forest Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Forest 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Forest Lake is located in York 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 York County: Cleveland (NC), Gaston (NC), Mecklenburg (NC), Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster & Union.
Below are the counties that are near Forest Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Forest Lake:
- York County (The home county of Forest Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Fort Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Riverview
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Riverview is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Tega Cay
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Lake Wylie
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- India Hook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- India Hook is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
- Newport
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Newport is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Rock Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Lesslie
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Lesslie is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesslie
- Roddey
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Roddey is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roddey
- Roddey has also been known as:
- Coates Tavern
- Catawba
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Bowling Green
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Clover
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Filbert
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Filbert is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
- Cherokee County
- Kings Creek
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Edgemoor
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Smith
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Smith is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
- Lando
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Richburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Fort Lawn
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Lowrys
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Lowrys is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Eureka Mill
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
- Chester
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Gayle Mill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Camp Cox
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Camp Cox is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Cox
- Colonial Village
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Colonial Village is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
- Indian Land
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Van Wyck
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Springdell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Springdell is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdell
- Riverside
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
- Riverside is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
- Caskey
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Caskey is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caskey
- Lancaster
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Camp Creek
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Camp Creek is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Creek
- Irwin
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Irwin is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
- Lancaster Mill
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Lancaster Mill is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Mill
- Elgin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Elgin is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Bell Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
- Cabarrus County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Harrisburg
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Cannon Crossroads
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Cannon Crossroads is located in Cabarrus County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Crossroads
- Cannon Crossroads has also been known as:
- Cannon Cross Roads
- Cannon's Crossroads
- Wallace Cross Roads
- Wallace Crossroads
- Midland
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Poplar Tent
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Poplar Tent is located in Cabarrus County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar Tent
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tulin ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Tulin is located in Cabarrus County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tulin
- Cleveland County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Kings Mountain
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- White Plains
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- White Plains is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
- Elbethel ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Elbethel is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbethel
- Grover
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Gaston County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Begonia ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
- Catawba ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
- Catawba is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
- Brown Town
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Brown Town is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
- Belmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Cramerton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- McAdenville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Lowell
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Holly
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Smyre
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
- Smyre is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
- Woodland ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Woodland is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
- Ranlo
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Ranlo is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
- South Gastonia
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- South Gastonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
- Gastonia
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lincoln County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Lowesville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
- Lowesville is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
- Machpelah
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Machpelah is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
- Triangle ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Triangle is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Triangle
- Iron Station
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Iron Station is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
- Westport
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Westport is located in Lincoln County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westport
- Mecklenburg County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Pineville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Yorkmont
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Yorkmont is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkmont
- Providence ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Providence is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Dalton Village
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dalton Village is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Village
- Dixie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dixie is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Pinecrest
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Pinecrest is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecrest
- Wilmore
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Wilmore is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
- Weddington
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Biddleville
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
- Matthews
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Chantilly
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Chantilly is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chantilly
- Charlotte
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Belmont is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Stanly County (NC)
- Stanfield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Union County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Marvin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Marvin is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
- Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
- White Oak
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- White Oak is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
- Indian Trail
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wesley Chapel
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Waxhaw
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Stallings
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Mineral Springs
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Hemby Bridge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Hemby Bridge is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hemby Bridge
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,846 people
- Lake Park
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Lake Park is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,999 people
- Jaars
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jaars is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaars
- Jackson
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
- Monroe
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Carmel Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Carmel Village is located in Union County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carmel Village
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Forest Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Forest Lake.
Cemeteries Near Forest Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Forest 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 Forest Lake - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Forest Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Dinkins Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- O'Zion AME Zion Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Old Unity Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Silver Run Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Independent Bible Baptist Church Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Steele Creek AME Zion Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Valley Baptist Church Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- York Memorial Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Forest Hills Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Olive Presbyterian Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Mill Creek Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Berryhill Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Continue List (176 more) ...
- Laurelwood Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Carmel Presbyterian Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
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 Forest Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Forest Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Forest Lake, with the one closest to Forest Lake listed first.
- Pineville
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Fort Mill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
- Steel Creek ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Steel Creek is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel Creek
- Barberville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Barberville is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barberville
- Harrison ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Harrison is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
- Hebron ‑ Historic
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Hebron is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hebron
- India Hook
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- India Hook is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
- Pleasant Valley
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Pleasant Valley is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
- Belmont ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Belmont is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
- Belair
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Belair is located in Lancaster County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belair
- Sardis
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Sardis is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sardis
- Dixie
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Dixie is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Newport
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Newport is located in York County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
- Rock Hill
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Begonia ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Forest Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Forest Lake.
Newspapers Published in Forest 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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Forest Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Forest Lake, there are papers which were published within 4 miles [6.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Forest Lake.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Forest Lake:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to York County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Cherokee County
- Chester County
- Lancaster County
- Cabarrus County
- Cleveland County
- Gaston County
- Lincoln County
- Mecklenburg County
- Stanly County
- Union 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 Forest Lake, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Forest Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |