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 Spring 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 Spring 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 Spring 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 have occurred.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Spring Lake: Spring Lk.
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 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.
Spring Lake 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 Spring Lake. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Spring Lake:
- Kershaw County (The home county of Spring Lake)
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Lugoff
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Spring Village
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Village
- Spring Village is located in Kershaw County
- Camden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Lafayette Village
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lafayette Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lafayette Village
- Lafayette Village is located in Kershaw County
- Log Town ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Log Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Log Town
- Log Town is located in Kershaw County
- Elgin
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Shepard
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shepard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shepard
- Shepard is located in Kershaw County
- Liberty Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Westville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Cassatt
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Kershaw
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Pine Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Village
- Pine Village is located in Kershaw County
- Chester County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Great Falls
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Fort Lawn
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Blackstock
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Chesterfield County
- McBee
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Fairfield County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Ridgeway
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Smallwood
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smallwood
- Smallwood is located in Fairfield County
- Winnsboro Mills
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnsboro Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnsboro Mills
- Winnsboro Mills is located in Fairfield County
- Mitford
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitford
- Mitford is located in Fairfield County
- Winnsboro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Rion
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Adger
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Adger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adger
- Adger is located in Fairfield County
- White Oak
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Rock Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
- Rock Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Woodward
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Woodward. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodward
- Woodward is located in Fairfield County
- Lancaster County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Oakhurst
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Oakhurst. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakhurst
- Oakhurst is located in Lancaster County
- Heath Springs
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Pleasant Hill
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
- Pleasant Hill is located in Lancaster County
- Bell Town
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bell Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
- Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
- Elgin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elgin
- Elgin is located in Lancaster County
- Primus
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Primus
- Primus is located in Lancaster County
- Irwin
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Irwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
- Irwin is located in Lancaster County
- Lancaster Mill
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lancaster Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Mill
- Lancaster Mill is located in Lancaster County
- Lancaster
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Springdale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Lee County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Manville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manville
- Manville is located in Lee County
- Bishopville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Lexington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- West Columbia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Cayce
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Irmo
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- 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 <1>
- Seven Oaks
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Springdale
(30 miles [48.3 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
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Blythewood
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
- Woodfield
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodfield
- Woodfield is located in Richland County
- Dentsville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Arcadia Lakes
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arcadia Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
- Belmont
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Brickyard Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brickyard Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brickyard Village
- Brickyard Village is located in Richland County
- Ravenwood
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ravenwood
- Ravenwood is located in Richland County
- Forest Acres
(22 miles [35.4 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
- Capitol View
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol View
- Capitol View is located in Richland County
- Bruner
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruner
- Bruner is located in Richland County
- Columbia
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Hollywood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hollywood
- Hollywood is located in Richland County
- Sumter County
- The following are listed by their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Rembert
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Horatio
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Claremont
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Claremont. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Claremont
- Claremont is located in Sumter County
- Dalzell
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Oakland is located in Sumter County
- Stateburg
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stateburg have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stateburg
- Stateburg is located in Sumter County
- Cherryvale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherryvale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryvale
- Cherryvale is located in Sumter County
- Wedgefield
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Cane Savannah
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cane Savannah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cane Savannah
- Cane Savannah is located in Sumter County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Spring Lake, see our County-by-County Page for Spring Lake.
Cemeteries Near Spring Lake ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Spring 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.
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 Spring Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Pine Grove Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Parker Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parker Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parker Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Matthews Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Matthews Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Matthews Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hardshell Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardshell Cemetery
- The Hardshell Cemetery has also been known as:
- Jackson Cemetery
- Ebenezer Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ebenezer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Chestnut Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chestnut Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chestnut Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Rock Hill Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Hill Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jewish Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jewish Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jewish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Quaker Burying Ground
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Smyrles Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smyrles Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smyrles Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- White Oak Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Oak Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Oak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hermitage Baptist Church Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Continue List (233 more) ...
- Antioch Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antioch Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antioch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Longtown Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Longtown Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Longtown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sawneys Creek Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sawneys Creek Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sawneys Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
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.<5>
While we didn't find Spring Lake in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Spring Lake.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Spring Lake, with the one closest to Spring Lake listed first.
- Cantey
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cantey have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cantey
- Cantey is located in Kershaw County
- Camden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
- Longtown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longtown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longtown
- Longtown is located in Fairfield County
- Dekalb
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dekalb have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dekalb
- Dekalb is located in Kershaw County
- Stockton ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stockton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockton
- Stockton is located in Kershaw County
- Ridgeway
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Boykin
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boykin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Boykin is located in Kershaw County
- Sharp
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharp have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharp
- Sharp is located in Richland County
- Liberty Hill
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Westville
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Flat Rock
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flat Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flat Rock
- Flat Rock is located in Kershaw County
- Killian
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Killian have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Killian
- Killian is located in Richland County
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Antioch
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Antioch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Antioch
- Antioch is located in Kershaw County
- Flint Hill
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Flint Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Flint Hill is located in Fairfield County
- Rembert
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Spring Lake. See our List of 1890's Communities around Spring Lake.
Newspapers Published in Spring 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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Spring Lake.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Spring Lake, there are papers which were published within 12 miles [19.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Spring Lake.
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 websites either 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 Spring Lake:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Kershaw County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Chester County
- Chesterfield County
- Fairfield County
- Lancaster County
- Lee County
- Lexington County
- Richland County
- Sumter County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for South Carolina
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Spring Lake. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of South Carolina: https://sc.gov/
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 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. |
<3> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
<4> | 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. |
<5> | 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 Spring Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | 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 from Point A (ie- Spring Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Spring Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 34.2746, Longitude: -80.7348 In this case, the coordinates for Spring Lake have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |