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

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

Shorts Creek is located in Carroll County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Carroll County: Floyd, Grayson, Patrick, Pulaski, Surry & Wythe.

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

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

Cemeteries Near Shorts Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shorts 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 Shorts Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Round Knob Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Round Knob Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Round Knob Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Shorts Creek - Frazier Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Shorts Creek - Frazier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Shorts Creek - Frazier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Frazier Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frazier Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frazier Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fosters Falls Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fosters Falls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fosters Falls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pickett Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pickett Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pickett Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Beasley Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Beasley Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Beasley Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.
  • Allen Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Allen Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Allen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Myers Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myers Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myers Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Parnell Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parnell Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Parnell Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • King Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the King Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the King Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Alford Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (587 more) ...
    • Jackson Peak Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Peak Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Peak Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Alexander Cemetery
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Alexander Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Alexander Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Burnett - Oak Grove Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burnett - Oak Grove Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burnett - Oak Grove 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Shorts Creek had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Austinville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Fosters Falls
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fosters Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fosters Falls
    • Fosters Falls is located in Wythe County
  • Sylvatus
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bertha
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bertha have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bertha
    • Bertha is located in Wythe County
  • Barren Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barren Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barren Springs
    • Barren Springs is located in Wythe County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Barren Springs <4>
  • Walton Furnace
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walton Furnace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walton Furnace
    • Walton Furnace is located in Wythe County
  • Kayoulah
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kayoulah have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kayoulah
    • Kayoulah is located in Pulaski County
  • Ivanhoe
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Grayson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grayson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grayson
    • Grayson is located in Carroll County
  • Grahams Forge
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grahams Forge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grahams Forge
    • Grahams Forge is located in Wythe County
  • Star
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Star. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Star
    • Star is located in Carroll County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Star
    • From Shorts Creek to Star
  • Woodlawn
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Hillsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Wolf Glade
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Glade have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Glade
      • Wolf Glade is located in Carroll County
    • Allisonia
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Allisonia have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Allisonia
      • Allisonia is located in Pulaski County

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

Newspapers Published in Shorts 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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shorts Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Shorts Creek, there are papers which were published within 18 miles [29 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Shorts 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 helpful 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 Shorts Creek:

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

The official website for Carroll County: www.co.carroll.va.us/

The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.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>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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Shorts Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 from Point A (ie- Shorts Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shorts Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.8394, Longitude: -80.8455       In this case, the coordinates for Shorts Creek have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 31 Mar 2025