Of troy, you questioned:

"a WW, a run is a branch of a creek? Smaller? or bigger? "

I'd say a creek, run, and branch could all be the same size, from small to large, around Dinwiddie. Also, rills would be the same.

However, I would say that creeks and runs would go from small-sized to very large, whereas a branches and rills would tend to remain on the small to medium size.

I've seen very narrow creeks, for instance. And Rocky Run isn't very large at all in places. Rocky Run, everybody around here would agree, is a creek. People would speak of branches off the creek, say, "Oh, that branch off Rocky Run lies on his back fifty." But the same branch could be referred to, by the farmer on whose land it lies, as "the creek out back."

Then there are springs, little bits of streams around here. We had once here a little spring that my dad had dammed up, and now there's a four and a half acre pond out back fed by the spring. But nobody would say a creek, branch, or run fills the pond.

There are long histories of families who came to settle this place, mostly Scots, English, and Irish. I suppose each group brought its names for creeks and that's why we have such a variety of reference here.

Nobody here, by the way, says, "crick" for "creek" unless for humorous purposes.

Boat regards,
WordWater