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 Big 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 Big 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 Big 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 occur.
Another variation: Bigcreek.
- A typical abbreviation for Big Creek: Big Crk. (or less commonly used: Big Ck. or Big Cr.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Big Creek. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Big 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 southwest 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 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.
Big Creek is located in Hawkins County.
To see how the shape of Tennessee's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Hawkins County: Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Sullivan, Washington, Lee (VA) & Scott (VA).
Below are the counties that are near Big Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Big Creek:
- Hawkins County (The home county of Big Creek)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Amis
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Amis is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amis
- Surgoinsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Eidson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Eidson is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eidson
- Kepler
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Kepler is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kepler
- Rogersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenland
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Greenland is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
- Strahl
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Strahl is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strahl
- Persia
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Persia is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Persia
- Blossom
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Blossom is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blossom
- New Canton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- New Canton is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Canton
- Chimneytop ‑ Historic
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Chimneytop is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chimneytop
- Church Hill
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
- Galbraith Springs
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
- Galbraith Springs is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galbraith Springs
- Claiborne County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Caney Valley
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Caney Valley is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caney Valley
- Evans Ferry
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Evans Ferry is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evans Ferry
- Population from the 2010 Census: 293 people
- Raven Hill
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
- Raven Hill is located in Claiborne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raven Hill
- Grainger County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Bean Station
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Wyatt Village
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Wyatt Village is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wyatt Village
- Marshalls Ferry
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
- Marshalls Ferry is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marshalls Ferry
- Beans
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Beans is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beans
- Estimated population in 2014: 3,084 people
- Thorn Hill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Thorn Hill is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorn Hill
- Bowen
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Bowen is located in Grainger County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowen
- Greene County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Baileyton
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Morelock ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Morelock is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morelock
- Romeo
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Romeo is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romeo
- Ottway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Ottway is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottway
- Marvin
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Marvin is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvin
- Jearoldstown
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jearoldstown is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jearoldstown
- Albany
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Albany is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
- Mosheim
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Milburnton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Milburnton is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milburnton
- Midway
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
- Centersville
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Centersville is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centersville
- Fairview
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Bolton Estates
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Bolton Estates is located in Greene County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bolton Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 5,152 people
- Hamblen County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Whitesburg
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Bright ‑ Historic
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Bright is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bright
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,942 people
- Silver City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
- Silver City is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver City
- East Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- East Village is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Village
- Casablanca
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Casablanca is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Casablanca
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,223 people
- Morristown
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Monte Vista Estates
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Monte Vista Estates is located in Hamblen County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monte Vista Estates
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,860 people
- Hancock County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Kyles Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Willis
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Willis is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willis
- Estimated population in 2014: 387 people
- Trent Valley
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Trent Valley is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trent Valley
- Estimated population in 2014: 4,157 people
- Duck Creek
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Duck Creek is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duck Creek
- Sneedville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Yount Town
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
- Yount Town is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yount Town
- Xenophon
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Xenophon is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Xenophon
- Alanthus Hill
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Alanthus Hill is located in Hancock County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alanthus Hill
- Estimated population in 2014: 2,498 people
- Sullivan County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Blair Gap
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Blair Gap is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blair Gap
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,870 people
- Beartown
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Beartown is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beartown
- Borden Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Borden Village is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borden Village
- Cherokee Village
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Cherokee Village is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee Village
- Kingsport
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Morrison City
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Morrison City is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrison City
- Beechwood Village
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Beechwood Village is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood Village
- Horace ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Horace is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horace
- Kendrick Creek ‑ Historic
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Kendrick Creek is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendrick Creek
- Colonial Heights
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fordtown
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Fordtown is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fordtown
- Bloomingdale
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Bloomingdale is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Population from the 2010 Census: 9,888 people
- Orebank
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Orebank is located in Sullivan County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orebank
- Washington County
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Fall Branch
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Ducktown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Ducktown is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ducktown
- Estimated population in 2014: 457 people
- Harmony
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Harmony is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
- Wheelocktown ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Wheelocktown is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelocktown
- Big Sandy
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Big Sandy is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Sandy
- Estimated population in 2014: 542 people
- Locust Mount
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Locust Mount is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Locust Mount
- Mill Brook
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Mill Brook is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Brook
- Oakland
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Oakland is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakland
- Bowmantown
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Bowmantown is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowmantown
- Population from the 2010 Census: 302 people
- Limestone
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Leesburg
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
- Leesburg is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leesburg
- Gray
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Spurgeon
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
- Spurgeon is located in Washington County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spurgeon
- Population from the 2010 Census: 3,957 people
- Harlan County (KY)
- The following are listed by their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Cranks
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Cranks is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cranks
- Cawood
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Cawood is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cawood
- Dizney
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Dizney is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dizney
- Holmes Mill
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
- Holmes Mill is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holmes Mill
- Bobs Creek
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Bobs Creek is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bobs Creek
- Kenvir
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Kenvir is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kenvir
- Redbud
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Redbud is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redbud
- Closplint
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Closplint is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Closplint
- Darkmont
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Darkmont is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Darkmont
- Draper
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Draper is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Draper
- Evarts
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mary Alice
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Mary Alice is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mary Alice
- Short Town
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Short Town is located in Harlan County (KY)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Short Town
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Big Creek, see our County-by-County Page for Big Creek.
Cemeteries Near Big Creek ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big 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.
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 Big Creek - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Big Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Looneys Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
- Klepper Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Absalom Starnes Looney Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Knox Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Valley View Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the east)
- Charles Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Pearson Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Ward Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gillenwater Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gilley Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Herron Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the west)
- Klepper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
- Continue List (750 more) ...
- Shanks Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Gross Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
- Klepper Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
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 Big Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Big Creek.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Big Creek, with the one closest to Big Creek listed first.
- Vogel ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the north)
- Vogel is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vogel
- Gillenwater ‑ Historic
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Gillenwater is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gillenwater
- Amis
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Amis is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amis
- Fisher Creek
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
- Fisher Creek is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fisher Creek
- Alumwell
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Alumwell is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alumwell
- Surgoinsville
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Rogersville
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Eidson
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Eidson is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eidson
- Stony Point
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
- Stony Point is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stony Point
- Austins Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Austins Mill is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Austins Mill
- New Hope
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- New Hope is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Hope
- Strahl
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Strahl is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strahl
- Continue List (15 more) ...
- Starnes ‑ Historic
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Starnes is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Starnes
- Kyles Ford
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
- Choptack
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Choptack is located in Hawkins County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Choptack
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Big Creek. See our List of 1890's Communities around Big Creek.
Newspapers Published in Big 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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Creek.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Creek, there are papers which were published within 17 miles [27.4 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Big Creek.
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 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 Big Creek:
- Websites specific to Tennessee
- Pages specific to Hawkins County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Claiborne County
- Grainger County
- Greene County
- Hamblen County
- Hancock County
- Sullivan County
- Washington County
- Harlan County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Tennessee
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 Big Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Creek) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |