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Home >> State of South Carolina >> York County >> Thorns Ferry >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Thorns Ferry (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 Thorns Ferry. 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.

Thorns Ferry 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 Thorns Ferry. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Thorns Ferry:

  • York County     (The home county of Thorns Ferry)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Tega Cay
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • India Hook
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • India Hook is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
    • Riverview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Riverview is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverview
    • Newport
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Newport is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
    • Fort Mill
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Lake Wylie
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Rock Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Lesslie
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Lesslie is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesslie
    • Clover
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • York
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Bowling Green
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Filbert
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
      • Filbert is located in York County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Filbert
  • Cherokee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Kings Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Blacksburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Chester County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Smith
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Smith is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smith
    • Edgemoor
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Lando
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Lowrys
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Lowrys is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowrys
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
    • Richburg
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Eureka Mill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Eureka Mill is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Mill
    • Fort Lawn
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Chester
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Gayle Mill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Gayle Mill is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gayle Mill
    • Cabal
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Cabal is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabal
    • Cornwell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Cornwell is located in Chester County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornwell
  • Lancaster County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Camp Cox
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
      • Camp Cox is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Cox
    • Colonial Village
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Colonial Village is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Village
    • Indian Land
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Springdell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Springdell is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdell
    • Van Wyck
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Riverside
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Riverside is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Caskey
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Caskey is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caskey
    • Camp Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 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 southeast)
      • Irwin is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irwin
    • Lancaster Mill
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Lancaster Mill is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster Mill
    • Lancaster
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Bell Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Bell Town is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bell Town
  • Union County
    • Lockhart
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Cabarrus County (NC)
    • Harrisburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Cleveland County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Kings Mountain
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Elbethel ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Elbethel is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elbethel
    • White Plains
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • White Plains is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Plains
    • Grover
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Grover is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 709 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grover <1>
    • Durbro ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Durbro is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Durbro
    • Pleasant Hill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Stony Point
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Stony Point is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
    • Light Oak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Light Oak is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Light Oak
    • Patterson Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Patterson Springs is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patterson Springs
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 628 people
    • Earl
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Earl is located in Cleveland County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 261 people
  • Gaston County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Begonia ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 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 north)
      • Catawba is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catawba
    • Belmont
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Belmont is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,622 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belmont <1>
    • Cramerton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Brown Town
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Brown Town is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brown Town
    • McAdenville
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Lowell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Lowell is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowell
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lowell <1>
    • South Gastonia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • South Gastonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Gastonia
    • Smyre
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Smyre is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smyre
    • Ranlo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Ranlo is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ranlo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,708 people
    • Gastonia
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Gastonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gastonia
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 77,640 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gastonia <1>
    • Mount Holly
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • Lincoln County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Lowesville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Lowesville is located in Lincoln County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lowesville
    • Machpelah
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Machpelah is located in Lincoln County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Machpelah
    • Iron Station
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Iron Station is located in Lincoln County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron Station
    • Crouse
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Crouse is located in Lincoln County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crouse
  • Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Pineville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pineville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineville
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,185 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pineville <1>
    • Dixie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Dixie is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixie
    • Yorkmont
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Yorkmont is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yorkmont
    • Dalton Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Dalton Village is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton Village
    • Pinecrest
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Pinecrest is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinecrest
    • Providence ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Providence is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
    • Weddington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Weddington is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weddington
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,389 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weddington <1>
    • Wilmore
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Wilmore is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wilmore
    • Paw Creek
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Paw Creek is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paw Creek
    • Biddleville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Biddleville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biddleville
    • Charlotte
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Charlotte is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlotte
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 900,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Charlotte <1>
    • Chantilly
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Chantilly is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chantilly
  • Union County (NC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thorns Ferry, with the one closest to Thorns Ferry listed first.
    • Marvin
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Marvin is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,920 people
    • White Oak
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • White Oak is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Oak
    • Waxhaw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Waxhaw is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waxhaw
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 17,987 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waxhaw <1>
    • Wesley Chapel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Jaars
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jaars is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jaars
    • Indian Trail
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Mineral Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Stallings
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hemby Bridge
      (23 miles [37 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
      (23 miles [37 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
    • Jackson
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jackson is located in Union County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jackson
    • Carmel Village
      (27 miles [43.5 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 Thorns Ferry, see our County-by-County Page for Thorns Ferry.

Cemeteries Near Thorns Ferry ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thorns Ferry.

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 Thorns Ferry - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

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 Thorns Ferry in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Thorns Ferry.

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

  • Belmont ‑ Historic
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Belmont is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belmont
  • India Hook
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • India Hook is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for India Hook
  • Newport
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Newport is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
  • Fort Mill
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Tirzah
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Tirzah is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tirzah
  • Rock Hill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bethel ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Bethel is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bethel
  • Steel Creek ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Steel Creek is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steel Creek
  • Begonia ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Begonia is located in Gaston County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Begonia
  • Barberville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Barberville is located in Lancaster County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barberville
  • Pineville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Pineville is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pineville
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,185 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pineville <1>
  • Lesslie
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Lesslie is located in York County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lesslie
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Pleasant Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Pleasant Valley is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Harrison ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Harrison is located in Mecklenburg County (NC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harrison
    • Belair
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Belair is located in Lancaster County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belair

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

Newspapers Published in Thorns Ferry ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thorns Ferry.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Thorns Ferry, 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 Thorns Ferry.

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 Thorns Ferry:

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 Thorns Ferry, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Thorns Ferry) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.