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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 Spears Creek (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 Spears Creek. 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 Spears Creek ...

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 have occurred.

  • A typical abbreviation for Spears Creek: Spears Crk. (or less commonly used: Spears Ck. or Spears Cr.)
  • While the name of this community is Spears Creek, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Spears Creek may originally have been Spear's Creek.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Spears Creek might be written as Spear Creek.

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.

Spears Creek is located in Kershaw County.

To see how the shape of South Carolina's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Kershaw County: Chesterfield, Darlington, Fairfield, Lancaster, Lee, Richland & Sumter.

Below are the counties that are near Spears Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spears Creek:

  • Kershaw County     (The home county of Spears Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • Elgin
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
      • Elgin is located in Kershaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,585 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elgin <2>
    • Spring Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
      • Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
    • Lugoff
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Camden
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Log Town ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Log Town have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
      • Log Town is located in Kershaw County
    • Lafayette Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lafayette Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
      • Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
    • Cassatt
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Westville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Liberty Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Bethune
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Pine Village
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
      • Pine Village is located in Kershaw County
    • Kershaw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
  • Fairfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • Smallwood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
      • Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
    • Ridgeway
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Rion
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Winnsboro Mills
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
      • Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
    • Winnsboro
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Lancaster County
  • Lee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • Manville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manville
      • Manville is located in Lee County
    • Bishopville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Lexington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • West Columbia
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Cayce
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cayce
      • Cayce is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,994 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cayce <2>
    • Springdale
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,732 people
    • Seven Oaks
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Glenn Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glenn Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenn Village
      • Glenn Village is located in Lexington County
    • Oak Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Grove
      • Oak Grove is located in Lexington County
    • Pineridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineridge
      • Pineridge is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,419 people
    • Irmo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irmo
      • Irmo is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Irmo <2>
    • South Congaree
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Congaree have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Congaree
      • South Congaree is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,485 people
    • Gaston
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaston
      • Gaston is located in Lexington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,712 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaston <2>
    • Lexington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Richland County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • Woodfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfield have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
      • Woodfield is located in Richland County
    • Dentsville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Bruner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
      • Bruner is located in Richland County
    • Arcadia Lakes
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arcadia Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arcadia Lakes
      • Arcadia Lakes is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 874 people
    • Capitol View
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
      • Capitol View is located in Richland County
    • Brickyard Village
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brickyard Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
      • Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
    • Ravenwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
      • Ravenwood is located in Richland County
    • Blythewood
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Eastover
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Forest Acres
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest Acres
      • Forest Acres is located in Richland County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,269 people
    • Hopkins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Belmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Sumter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.
    • Rembert
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Horatio
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Stateburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stateburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
      • Stateburg is located in Sumter County
    • Oakland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
      • Oakland is located in Sumter County
    • Dalzell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Cherryvale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherryvale have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryvale
      • Cherryvale is located in Sumter County
    • Wedgefield
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Cane Savannah
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cane Savannah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Savannah
      • Cane Savannah is located in Sumter County
    • Millwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millwood
      • Millwood is located in Sumter County
    • Mulberry
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mulberry have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mulberry
      • Mulberry is located in Sumter County
    • Oswego
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oswego
      • Oswego is located in Sumter County
    • Ashley Creek Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashley Creek Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashley Creek Village
      • Ashley Creek Village is located in Sumter County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Spears Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Spears Creek.

Newspapers Published in Spears Creek ...

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 50 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spears Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spears Creek, there are papers which were published within 11 miles [17.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spears Creek.

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 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 Spears Creek:

Cemeteries Near Spears Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spears Creek.

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.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Spears Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.

  • Concord Baptist Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
  • Mt. Prospect Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Prospect Cemetery
  • Prospect Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prospect Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prospect Cemetery
  • Porter Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Porter Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Porter Cemetery
  • Bardell Graveyard
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bardell Graveyard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bardell Graveyard
  • Salem Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Spears Creek Baptist Church Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Old McGraw Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Ft. Jackson National Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
  • Continue List   (230 more) ...

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.<6>

While we didn't find Spears Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Spears Creek.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Spears Creek, with the one closest to Spears Creek listed first.

  • Boykin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boykin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
    • Boykin is located in Kershaw County
  • Stockton ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
    • Stockton is located in Kershaw County
  • Hagood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagood
    • Hagood is located in Sumter County
  • Rembert
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Camden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Killian
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Killian have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
    • Killian is located in Richland County
  • Claremont
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Claremont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
    • Claremont is located in Sumter County
  • Pisgah
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pisgah have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pisgah
    • Pisgah is located in Sumter County
  • Sharp
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
    • Sharp is located in Richland County
  • Congaree
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Congaree have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Congaree
    • Congaree is located in Richland County
  • Catchall
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Catchall have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catchall
    • Catchall is located in Sumter County
  • Cantey
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cantey have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantey
    • Cantey is located in Kershaw County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Antioch
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antioch have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
      • Antioch is located in Kershaw County
    • Childs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Childs have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
      • Childs is located in Richland County
    • Hopkins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Spears Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spears Creek.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Spears Creek. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Spears Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spears Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.1163, Longitude: -80.7218       In this case, the coordinates for Spears Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Spears Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024