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 Renfrew (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 Renfrew. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals 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.
Renfrew 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 Renfrew. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Renfrew:
- Greenville County (The home county of Renfrew)
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Travelers Rest
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Marietta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Slater
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Berea
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Berea is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- Tigerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Cleveland
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Sans Souci
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Sans Souci is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sans Souci
- City View
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- City View is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City View
- Parker
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Parker is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
- Paris
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Paris is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paris
- Wade Hampton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Powderville
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Powderville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
- Piedmont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Pelzer
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- West Pelzer
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
- Williamston
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
- Pendleton
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- La France
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Laurens County
- Green Pond
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Oconee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Salem
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Newry
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Pickens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Dacusville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Knob ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Knob is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
- Arial
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Arial is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arial
- Easley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Pickens
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Liberty
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Crow Creek
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Crow Creek is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
- Rocky Bottom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Rocky Bottom is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Bottom
- Sunset
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Norris
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Nine Times
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Nine Times is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nine Times
- Six Mile
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Spartanburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Duncan
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Gramling
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Lyman
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Campobello
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
- Inman Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Startex
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wellford
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Landrum
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Brookside Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Brookside Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside Village
- Inman
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Reidville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Crescent
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Crescent is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Henderson County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Mount Olive
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Mount Olive is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Tuxedo
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Saluda
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Zirconia
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)
- Claremont
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Claremont is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- East Flat Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Flat Rock
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Barker Heights
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Barker Heights is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barker Heights
- Upward
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Upward is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Upward
- Valley Hill
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Valley Hill is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Hill
- Willow Bend
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Willow Bend is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Bend
- Hendersonville
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Polk County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Melrose
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Melrose is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Tryon
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Lynn
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Columbus
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Mill Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Transylvania County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Cedar Mountain
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- East Fork
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Fork is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Penrose
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Seven Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Seven Springs is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seven Springs
- Brevard
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Brevard is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brevard
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,899 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brevard <1>
- Pisgah Forest
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rosman
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Rosman is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosman
- Population from the 2020 Census: 624 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosman <1>
- Lake Toxaway
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Toxaway Falls ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Toxaway Falls is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxaway Falls
- Balsam Grove
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Renfrew, see our County-by-County Page for Renfrew.
Cemeteries Near Renfrew ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Renfrew.
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 Renfrew - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Renfrew covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Grandview Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- First Baptist Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Travelers Rest UMC Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Forestville Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Reedy River Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bethany Baptist Church Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Bethany Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Enoree Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Marietta First FWB Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- New Liberty Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Hall Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (363 more) ...
- Whitmire Family Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitmire Family Cemetery
- The Whitmire Family Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hitmire - Hunt Family Cemetery
- Nine Forks Baptist Church Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Ponder 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>
While we didn't find Renfrew in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Renfrew.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Renfrew, with the one closest to Renfrew listed first.
- Travelers Rest
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Marietta
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Dacusville
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Sandy Flat
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Sandy Flat is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Flat
- Mayfield ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Mayfield is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Tigerville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Lima
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Lima is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lima
- Riverview
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Riverview is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Taylors
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Taho ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
- Taho is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taho
- Wattacoo ‑ Historic
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Wattacoo is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattacoo
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Chick Springs
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- O'Neal
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Highland
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Highland is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highland
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Renfrew. See our List of 1890's Communities around Renfrew.
Newspapers Published in Renfrew ...
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 80 newspapers that have been published in the area around Renfrew.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Renfrew, there are papers which were published within 9 miles [14.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Renfrew.
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 Renfrew:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Greenville County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Laurens County
- Oconee County
- Pickens County
- Spartanburg County
- Henderson County
- Polk County
- Transylvania 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 Renfrew, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Renfrew) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |