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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 Alma (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 Alma. 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 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.

Alma is located in Bacon County and is the County Seat.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Bacon County: Appling, Coffee, Jeff Davis, Pierce & Ware.

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

  • Bacon County     (The home county of Alma)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Guysie
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Guysie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Guysie
      • Guysie is located in Bacon County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,226 people
    • Coffee
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee
      • Coffee is located in Bacon County
  • Appling County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Phillipi
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Phillipi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Phillipi
      • Phillipi is located in Appling County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 707 people
    • Baxley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Graham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
    • Surrency
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Atkinson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Axson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Pearson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Clinch County
    • Cogdell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cogdell
      • Cogdell is located in Clinch County
  • Coffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Nicholls
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • West Green
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Green have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Green
      • West Green is located in Coffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for West Green <2>
    • Oak Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Park
      • Oak Park is located in Coffee County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 470 people
    • Douglas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Broxton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Mora
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mora have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mora
      • Mora is located in Coffee County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 444 people
  • Jeff Davis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Quinn ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Quinn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quinn
      • Quinn is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,652 people
    • Denton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Hazlehurst
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Kirkland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kirkland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkland
      • Kirkland is located in Jeff Davis County
    • Tallahassee
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tallahassee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallahassee
      • Tallahassee is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,185 people
    • Lumber City Ferry
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumber City Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City Ferry
      • Lumber City Ferry is located in Jeff Davis County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,257 people
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Mershon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Bristol
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Blackshear
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Patterson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Offerman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Telfair County
    • Lumber City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumber City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumber City
      • Lumber City is located in Telfair County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lumber City <2>
  • Ware County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Talmo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Talmo
      • Talmo is located in Ware County
    • Waltertown
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
      • Waltertown is located in Ware County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
      • Waltertown has also been known as:
      • Watertown
    • Jamestown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jamestown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jamestown
      • Jamestown is located in Ware County
    • Waresboro
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Deenwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deenwood
      • Deenwood is located in Ware County
    • Sunnyside
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunnyside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunnyside
      • Sunnyside is located in Ware County
    • Winona Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winona Park
      • Winona Park is located in Ware County
    • Millwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Waycross
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Emerson Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emerson Park
      • Emerson Park is located in Ware County
    • Ruskin
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ruskin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruskin
      • Ruskin is located in Ware County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 1,203 people
    • Manor
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manor
      • Manor is located in Ware County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manor <2>
  • Wayne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alma, with the one closest to Alma listed first.
    • Odum
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Screven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Alma ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alma.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Alma. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Alma and those printed in the larger area surrounding Alma.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Alma.

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 Alma:

Cemeteries Near Alma ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alma.

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 Alma covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Rose Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rose Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rose Hill Cemetery
  • Holton Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holton Cemetery
  • Rockingham Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rockingham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rockingham Cemetery
  • Taylors Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • The Taylors Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Matilda Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Taylors Cemetery
  • Pine Lawn Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Lawn Cemetery
  • J. Ben Taylor Family Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Johnsons Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Johnsons Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Johnsons Cemetery
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Grove Cemetery
  • Patterson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patterson Cemetery
  • Douglas Chapel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Douglas Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Douglas Chapel Cemetery
  • Sweat Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sweat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sweat Cemetery
  • Elisabeth Chapel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elisabeth Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elisabeth Chapel Cemetery
  • Continue List   (233 more) ...
    • Stewart Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stewart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stewart Cemetery
    • Lees Chapel Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lees Chapel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lees Chapel Cemetery
    • Pine Level Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Level Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Level Cemetery

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.<4>

While we didn't find Alma in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alma.

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

  • Beach
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beach have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beach
    • Beach is located in Ware County
  • Nicholls
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Bickley
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bickley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bickley
    • Bickley is located in Ware County
  • Waltertown
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waltertown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waltertown
    • Waltertown is located in Ware County
    • Estimated population in 2019: 4,115 people
    • Waltertown has also been known as:
    • Watertown
  • Baxley
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Prentiss
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prentiss have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prentiss
    • Prentiss is located in Appling County
  • Wheaton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheaton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheaton
    • Wheaton is located in Appling County
  • Pine Grove
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
    • Pine Grove is located in Appling County
  • Waresboro
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
  • Blackshear
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Ritch
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ritch have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ritch
    • Ritch is located in Wayne County
  • Surrency
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Graham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Graham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graham
      • Graham is located in Appling County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 289 people
    • Johnsonville ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnsonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnsonville
      • Johnsonville is located in Appling County
    • Patterson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)

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

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

The official website for State of Georgia: https://georgia.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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- Alma) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alma. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 31.5414, Longitude: -82.4623    
<4>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 Alma, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024