RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Georgia >> Baker County >> Bethany >> Genealogy HelperIndex...

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 Bethany (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 Bethany. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Bethany is located in Baker County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Baker County: Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Miller & Mitchell.

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

  • Baker County     (The home county of Bethany)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Anna
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Anna is located in Baker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
    • Mimsville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Mimsville is located in Baker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mimsville
    • Milford
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Milford is located in Baker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
    • Hawkinstown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Hawkinstown is located in Baker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawkinstown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,270 people
    • Lamar ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Lamar is located in Baker County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
    • Newton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Calhoun County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Williamsburg
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Williamsburg is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
    • Arlington
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Leary
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Morgan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Holt
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Holt is located in Calhoun County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holt
    • Edison
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Clay County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Bluffton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bellville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Bellville is located in Clay County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 118 people
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Vada
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Vada is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vada
      • Estimated population in 2019: 56,457 people
    • Brinson
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Bainbridge
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Dougherty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Colonial Place
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Colonial Place is located in Dougherty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Place
    • West Town
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • West Town is located in Dougherty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Town
    • Putney
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Dawson Heights
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Dawson Heights is located in Dougherty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson Heights
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,246 people
    • Lake Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Lake Park is located in Dougherty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,207 people
  • Early County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Douglass Crossroads
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Douglass Crossroads is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass Crossroads
      • Estimated population in 2019: 33,992 people
    • Douglasville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Douglasville is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglasville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 11,695 people
    • Damascus
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hentown
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Hentown is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hentown
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,944 people
    • Bancroft
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Bancroft is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
    • Centerville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Centerville is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
    • Blakely
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Springfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Springfield is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
      • Estimated population in 2019: 4,084 people
    • Rock Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Rock Hill is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Hill
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 248 people
    • Sawhatchee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Sawhatchee is located in Early County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawhatchee
    • Jakin
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Cedar Springs
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Miller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Colquitt
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Boykin
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Boykin is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
    • Floydtown ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Floydtown is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floydtown
    • Mayhaw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mayhaw is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Greenwood ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Greenwood is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Camilla
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Flint
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Flint is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
    • Baconton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • De Witt
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • De Witt is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 154 people
    • Greenough
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Greenough is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenough
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,304 people
    • Pelham
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Randolph County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Five Points
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Five Points is located in Randolph County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Five Points
    • Coleman
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Seminole County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Iron City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Donalsonville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Terrell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
    • Clarks Mill
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Clarks Mill is located in Terrell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarks Mill
      • Estimated population in 2019: 12,637 people
    • Herod
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Herod is located in Terrell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Herod
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 3,384 people
  • Houston County (AL)
    • Columbia
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)

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

Cemeteries Near Bethany ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethany.

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 Bethany - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Bethany covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Stephen Bush Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Smith Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
  • Live Oak Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Sheffield Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Oak Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Pullen Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Gross Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Tabb Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Macedonia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Harmony Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (165 more) ...
    • Morgan Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Mt. Enon Baptist Church Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Milford Baptist Church Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)

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 Bethany in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bethany.

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

  • Mimsville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Mimsville is located in Baker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mimsville
  • Milford
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Milford is located in Baker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milford
  • Damascus
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hoggard Mill
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Hoggard Mill is located in Baker County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoggard Mill
  • Williamsburg
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Williamsburg is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Williamsburg
  • Arlington
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Colquitt
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Leary
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Morgan
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Newton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Dickey
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Dickey is located in Calhoun County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dickey
  • Twilight ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Twilight is located in Miller County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilight
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Mayhaw
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Mayhaw is located in Miller County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
    • Eldorendo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Eldorendo is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorendo
    • Edison
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)

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

Newspapers Published in Bethany ...

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 24 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethany.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethany, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethany.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Bethany:

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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bethany) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<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 Bethany, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.