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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most 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.
Bethany is located in Decatur County.
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 Decatur County: Gadsden (FL), Baker, Grady, Miller, Mitchell & Seminole.
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:
- Decatur County (The home county of Bethany)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Recovery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Recovery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Recovery
- Recovery is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 33,015 people
- Brinson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Faceville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faceville
- Faceville is located in Decatur County
- Bainbridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fowlstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Attapulgus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Climax
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Vada
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vada
- Vada is located in Decatur County
- Estimated population in 2019: 56,457 people
- Baker County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Lamar ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lamar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
- Lamar is located in Baker County
- Mimsville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mimsville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mimsville
- Mimsville is located in Baker County
- Anna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Anna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anna
- Anna is located in Baker County
- Early County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Jakin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jakin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jakin
- Jakin is located in Early County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Jakin <2>
- Springfield
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springfield
- Springfield is located in Early County
- Estimated population in 2019: 4,084 people
- Hentown
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hentown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hentown
- Hentown is located in Early County
- Estimated population in 2019: 3,944 people
- Cedar Springs
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Centerville
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Centerville
- Centerville is located in Early County
- Damascus
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Douglass Crossroads
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Douglass Crossroads have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglass Crossroads
- Douglass Crossroads is located in Early County
- Estimated population in 2019: 33,992 people
- Grady County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Whigham
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Calvary
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Reno
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reno have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
- Reno is located in Grady County
- Estimated population in 2019: 285 people
- Good Hope ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Good Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
- Good Hope is located in Grady County
- Estimated population in 2019: 300 people
- Cairo
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Miller County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Boykin
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boykin
- Boykin is located in Miller County
- Floydtown ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Floydtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floydtown
- Floydtown is located in Miller County
- Colquitt
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Mayhaw
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mayhaw. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayhaw
- Mayhaw is located in Miller County
- Seminole County
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Reynoldsville
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reynoldsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reynoldsville
- Reynoldsville is located in Seminole County
- Estimated population in 2019: 960 people
- Iron City
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Butlers Ferry
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Butlers Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butlers Ferry
- Butlers Ferry is located in Seminole County
- Estimated population in 2019: 1,759 people
- Donalsonville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Steam Mill
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Steam Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Steam Mill
- Steam Mill is located in Seminole County
- Houston County (AL)
- Gordon
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gordon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
- Gordon is located in Houston County (AL)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 328 people
- Calhoun County (FL)
- Ocheesee
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ocheesee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocheesee
- Ocheesee is located in Calhoun County (FL)
- Gadsden County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Chattahoochee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- Mount Pleasant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- River Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for River Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Junction
- River Junction is located in Gadsden County (FL)
- Gretna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Douglas City
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Douglas City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Douglas City
- Douglas City is located in Gadsden County (FL)
- Greensboro
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Sycamore
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Sycamore. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sycamore
- Sycamore is located in Gadsden County (FL)
- Quincy
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Havana
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Midway
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jackson County (FL)
- The following are listed by their distance from Bethany, with the one closest to Bethany listed first.
- Butler ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Butler. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Butler
- Butler is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Sneads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Parramore ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parramore
- Parramore is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Inwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
- Inwood is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Grand Ridge
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Two Egg
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Two Egg
- Two Egg is located in Jackson County (FL)
- Cypress
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
- Bascom
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Greenwood
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Malone
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Marianna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
- Leon County (FL)
- Ocklockonee ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ocklockonee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ocklockonee
- Ocklockonee is located in Leon County (FL)
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.
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 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.
- Mock Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mock Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cloud Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cloud Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cloud Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Morning Star Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morning Star Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morning Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Breedlove Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Breedlove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Breedlove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Thursby Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thursby Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thursby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Chason Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chason Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chason Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Randolph Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Randolph Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Randolph Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jackson Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Thompson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Cemetery
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Thompson Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #37357 <4>
- Freeman Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Freeman Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Freeman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Ash Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ash Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cool Spring Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cool Spring Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cool Spring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (223 more) ...
- Peterson Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peterson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Green Shade Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Shade Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Shade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- New Enterprise Freewill Baptist Church Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
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>
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.
- Recovery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Recovery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Recovery
- Recovery is located in Decatur County
- Population from the 2010 Census: 33,015 people
- Faceville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faceville
- Faceville is located in Decatur County
- Brinson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
- Bainbridge
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
- Fowlstown
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Chattahoochee
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
- River Junction
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for River Junction. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for River Junction
- River Junction is located in Gadsden County (FL)
- Mount Pleasant
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Eldorendo
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eldorendo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldorendo
- Eldorendo is located in Decatur County
- Sneads
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
- Twilight ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twilight have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twilight
- Twilight is located in Miller County
- Spooner ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spooner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spooner
- Spooner is located in Miller County
- Continue List (14 more) ...
- Attapulgus
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Climax
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Inwood
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Inwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inwood
- Inwood is located in Jackson County (FL)
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 32 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 20 miles [32.2 km]<6>. 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 like to start with 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 Bethany:
- Websites specific to Georgia
- Pages specific to Decatur County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Baker County
- Early County
- Grady County
- Miller County
- Seminole County
- Houston County
- Calhoun County
- Gadsden County
- Jackson County
- Leon County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Georgia
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bethany. 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> | 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> | 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. |
<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 Bethany, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
<6> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Bethany) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bethany. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.8574, Longitude: -84.7241 In this case, the coordinates for Bethany have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |