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 West Forest (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 West Forest. 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 West Forest ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Forest: W. Forest
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Forest. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Forest.
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 and hospitals 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.
West Forest is located in Spartanburg 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 Spartanburg County: Polk (NC), Rutherford (NC), Cherokee, Greenville, Laurens & Union.
Below are the counties that are near West Forest. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Forest:
- Spartanburg County (The home county of West Forest)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Franklin Village
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Franklin Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin Village
- Arcadia
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Fairforest
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Johnson City
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Johnson City is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson City
- Hub City Courts
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Hub City Courts is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hub City Courts
- Saxon
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Saxon is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saxon
- Una
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
- Roebuck
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
- Southern Shops
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
- Spartanburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Brookside Village
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Brookside Village is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookside Village
- Whitney
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Whitney is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Startex
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Anderson County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Powderville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Powderville is located in Anderson County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderville
- Piedmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
- Cherokee County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Chesnee
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Macedonia
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
- Macedonia is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Macedonia
- Gaffney
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- East Gaffney is located in Cherokee County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gaffney
- Blacksburg
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Greenville County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Greer
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Pelham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Pelham is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelham
- Five Forks
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Five Forks is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Forks
- Chick Springs
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Chick Springs is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chick Springs
- East Gate Village
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- East Gate Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gate Village
- O'Neal
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- O'Neal is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for O'Neal
- Taylors
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Woodland Village
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Woodland Village is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Village
- Gowensville
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Gowensville is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gowensville
- Wade Hampton
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Wade Hampton is located in Greenville County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wade Hampton
- Fountain Inn
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Simpsonville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Mauldin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Laurens County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Gray Court
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Tylersville
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Tylersville is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tylersville
- Green Pond
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Green Pond is located in Laurens County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Pond
- Laurens
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Union County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Colerain
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Colerain is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colerain
- Jonesville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Bonham
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Bonham is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonham
- Buffalo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kelly
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Kelly is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelly
- Bishop Town ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Bishop Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bishop Town
- Union
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Bailey Town ‑ Historic
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Bailey Town is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bailey Town
- Sedalia
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Sedalia is located in Union County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sedalia
- Cleveland County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Byersville ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Byersville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Byersville
- Cliffside
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Cliffside is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cliffside
- Erwinsville ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Erwinsville is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwinsville
- Flint Hill ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Flint Hill is located in Cleveland County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint Hill
- Boiling Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
- Henderson County (NC)
- Saluda
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Polk County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Tryon
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
- Lynn is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lynn
- Columbus
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
- Mill Spring
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Melrose
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Melrose is located in Polk County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Rutherford County (NC)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Harris
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Harris is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harris
- Holly Springs
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Holly Springs is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holly Springs
- Henrietta
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
- Henrietta is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henrietta
- Sandy Mush
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Sandy Mush is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandy Mush
- Shiloh
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Shiloh is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shiloh
- Alexander Mills
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Alexander Mills is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alexander Mills
- Caroleen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Caroleen is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caroleen
- Six Points
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Six Points is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Six Points
- Bakersville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Bakersville is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakersville
- Forest City
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Concord
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Concord is located in Rutherford County (NC)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
- Rutherfordton
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Spindale
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Forest, see our County-by-County Page for West Forest.
Cemeteries Near West Forest ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Forest.
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 West Forest - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Forest covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Nazareth Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Mosse Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Seay Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Ft. Prince Memorial Gardens
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Jones Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Old City Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old City Cemetery
- The Old City Cemetery has also been known as:
- Freemans Cemetery
- New Colored Cemetery
- Cemetery Hill
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Arkwright Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Magnola Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Penney - McMillian Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
- Oakwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Continue List (446 more) ...
- Chapel Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Startex Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Lee Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
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 West Forest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Forest.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Forest, with the one closest to West Forest listed first.
- Fairforest
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Spartanburg
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
- Mount Zion
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
- Mount Zion is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Zion
- Whitney
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Whitney is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
- Moore
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Wellford
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Reidville
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Switzer
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Switzer is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Switzer
- Golightly
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Golightly is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Golightly
- Campton
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Campton is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Campton
- Duncan
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Glendale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Inman
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
- Cashville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Cashville is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cashville
- Walnut Grove
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Walnut Grove is located in Spartanburg County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walnut Grove
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Forest. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Forest.
Newspapers Published in West Forest ...
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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Forest.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Forest, there are papers which were published within 8 miles [12.9 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Forest.
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 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 West Forest:
- Websites specific to South Carolina
- Pages specific to Spartanburg County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Anderson County
- Cherokee County
- Greenville County
- Laurens County
- Union County
- Cleveland County
- Henderson County
- Polk County
- Rutherford 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 West Forest, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Forest) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |