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 Smithfields (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 Smithfields. 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 southwest 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 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.
Smithfields is located in Pickens 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 Pickens County: Transylvania (NC), Anderson, Greenville & Oconee.
Below are the counties that are near Smithfields. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Smithfields:
- Pickens County (The home county of Smithfields)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Easley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Arial
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Arial is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arial
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dacusville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Pickens
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Norris
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Crow Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Crow Creek is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
- Central
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Knob ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Knob is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Knob
- Isaqueena Village
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Isaqueena Village is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isaqueena Village
- Six Mile
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Clemson
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Abbeville County
- Honea Path
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Powderville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Powderville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
- Piedmont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Pelzer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Pelzer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- West Pelzer is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Pelzer
- Population from the 2020 Census: 953 people
- Williamston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pendleton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
- La France
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Anderson Village
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Anderson Village is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson Village
- Northlake
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Northlake is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Northlake
- Sandy Springs
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Belton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Centerville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Centerville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Welcome
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Welcome is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welcome
- White Horse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- White Horse is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse
- Parker
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Parker is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker
- Dunean
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Dunean is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunean
- Gantt
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Gantt is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gantt
- Judson
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Judson is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Judson
- Berea
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Berea is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
- City View
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- City View is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City View
- Golden Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Golden Grove is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golden Grove
- Pine Hill Village
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Pine Hill Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Hill Village
- Sans Souci
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Sans Souci is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sans Souci
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Green Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Princeton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Princeton is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Princeton
- Gray Court
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Oconee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Newry
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Utica
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Utica is located in Oconee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utica
- Salem
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Seneca
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Tamassee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- West Union
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Richland
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Walhalla
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Oakway
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Oakway is located in Oconee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakway
- Spartanburg County
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Duncan
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Crescent
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Crescent is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crescent
- Reidville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
- Green Pond
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Green Pond is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Lyman
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
- Brookside Village
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Brookside Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside Village
- Startex
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Wellford
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Woodruff
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Gramling
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Inman Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Inman Mills is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inman Mills
- Hart County (GA)
- Crawfords Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Crawfords Ferry is located in Hart County (GA)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crawfords Ferry
- Estimated population in 2019: 473 people
- Henderson County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Tuxedo
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Mount Olive
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Mount Olive is located in Henderson County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Olive
- Transylvania County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Cedar Mountain
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- East Fork
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- East Fork is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Fork
- Rosman
(27 miles [43.5 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>
- Toxaway Falls ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Toxaway Falls is located in Transylvania County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toxaway Falls
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Smithfields, see our County-by-County Page for Smithfields.
Cemeteries Near Smithfields ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Smithfields.
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 Smithfields - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Smithfields covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- St. Pauls Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Rock Springs Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Fairview UMC Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview UMC Cemetery
- The Fairview UMC Cemetery has also been known as:
- Fairview Methodist Cemetery
- Zion Methodist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Corinth Baptist #2 Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- New Foundation Baptist Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Georges Creek Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Holcombe Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- West View Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Greenlawn Memorial Park
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Easley Mill Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Continue List (387 more) ...
- Bethesda Baptist Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Antioch Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- McAdams Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)
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 Smithfields in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Smithfields.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Smithfields, with the one closest to Smithfields listed first.
- Easley
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- White Horse
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- White Horse is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Horse
- Liberty
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Dacusville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Dacusville is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dacusville
- Piedmont
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Greenville
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Piercetown
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Piercetown is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piercetown
- Pelzer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Travelers Rest
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
- Williamston
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Mauldin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Central
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Woodville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Woodville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Mayfield ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Mayfield is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayfield
- Crow Creek
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Crow Creek is located in Pickens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Smithfields. See our List of 1890's Communities around Smithfields.
Newspapers Published in Smithfields ...
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 92 newspapers that have been published in the area around Smithfields.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Smithfields, there are papers which were published within 10 miles [16.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Smithfields.
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 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 Smithfields:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Pickens County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Abbeville County
- Anderson County
- Greenville County
- Laurens County
- Oconee County
- Spartanburg County
- Hart County
- Henderson 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 Smithfields, 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' (or 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- Smithfields) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |