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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 Bethel (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 Bethel. 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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Bethel is located in Grady 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 Grady County: Gadsden (FL), Leon (FL), Decatur, Mitchell & Thomas.

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

  • Grady County     (The home county of Bethel)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Reno
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • 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
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Calvary
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Midway
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Grady County
    • Whigham
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Cairo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Woodland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
      • Woodland is located in Grady County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 353 people
    • Spence
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spence
      • Spence is located in Grady County
  • Baker County
    • Lamar ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lamar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lamar
      • Lamar is located in Baker County
  • Decatur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Climax
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Attapulgus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Fowlstown
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Bainbridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Faceville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Faceville
      • Faceville is located in Decatur County
    • Vada
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vada
      • Vada is located in Decatur County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 56,457 people
    • Recovery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • 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
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Pelham
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Greenwood ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Mitchell County
  • Seminole County
    • Reynoldsville
      (29 miles [46.7 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
  • Thomas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Dewey City
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dewey City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey City
      • Dewey City is located in Thomas County
    • Thomasville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Ochlocknee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ochlocknee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochlocknee
      • Ochlocknee is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ochlocknee <2>
    • Newark
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newark have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Newark is located in Thomas County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 783 people
    • Fredonia
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
      • Fredonia is located in Thomas County
    • Hansell
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hansell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansell
      • Hansell is located in Thomas County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 6,534 people
    • Meigs
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Boston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Coolidge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Gadsden County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Havana
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
      • Havana is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,695 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Havana <2>
    • Midway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Midway <2>
    • Quincy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,804 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quincy <2>
    • Douglas City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • 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)
    • Gretna
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gretna
      • Gretna is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,430 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gretna <2>
    • Mount Pleasant
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Greensboro
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Jefferson County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Lloyd
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Monticello
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Leon County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bethel, with the one closest to Bethel listed first.
    • Miccosukee
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Tallahassee
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Capitola
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitola
      • Capitola is located in Leon County (FL)
    • Woodville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Bethel ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bethel.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bethel, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bethel.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Bethel:

Cemeteries Near Bethel ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bethel.

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

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Williams Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
  • St. Luke Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke Cemetery
  • Williams Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Williams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Williams Cemetery
  • Pine Hill Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hill Cemetery
  • Gainey Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gainey Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gainey Cemetery
  • Broome Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Broome Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Broome Cemetery
  • Higdon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Higdon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Higdon Cemetery
  • Higdon Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Higdon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Higdon Cemetery
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrison Cemetery
  • Herring Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Herring Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Herring Cemetery
  • Pedemont Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pedemont Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pedemont Cemetery
  • Continue List   (256 more) ...
    • Ebenezer Stephens Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Ebenezer Stephens Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ebenezer Stephens Cemetery
    • Elkins Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elkins Cemetery
    • Sasser Cemetery
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sasser Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sasser 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.<5>

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

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

  • Ocklockonee ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • 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)
  • Concord
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concord have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concord
    • Concord is located in Gadsden County (FL)
  • Iamonia
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iamonia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iamonia
    • Iamonia is located in Leon County (FL)
  • Climax
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Attapulgus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Scotland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scotland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scotland
    • Scotland is located in Gadsden County (FL)
  • Bradfordville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradfordville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradfordville
    • Bradfordville is located in Leon County (FL)
  • Fowlstown
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Miccosukee
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Metcalf
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Metcalf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalf
    • Metcalf is located in Thomas County
  • Thomasville
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Bainbridge
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Quincy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,804 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Quincy <2>
    • Midway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
      • Midway is located in Gadsden County (FL)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,956 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Midway <2>
    • Ochlocknee
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ochlocknee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ochlocknee
      • Ochlocknee is located in Thomas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ochlocknee <2>

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Bethel. 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' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Bethel) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bethel. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 30.7538, Longitude: -84.2946       In this case, the coordinates for Bethel have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<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 Bethel, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024