RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Georgia >> Thomas County >> Chastain >> 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 Chastain (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 Chastain. 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 and hospitals 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.

Chastain is located in Thomas 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 Thomas County: Jefferson (FL), Leon (FL), Brooks, Colquitt, Grady & Mitchell.

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

  • Thomas County     (The home county of Chastain)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Coolidge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Fredonia
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Fredonia is located in Thomas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredonia
    • Ochlocknee
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Hansell
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Hansell is located in Thomas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hansell
      • Estimated population in 2019: 6,534 people
    • Meigs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Pavo
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Thomasville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Dewey City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Dewey City is located in Thomas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey City
    • Newark
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Newark is located in Thomas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newark
      • Estimated population in 2019: 783 people
    • Boston
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Brooks County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Barwick
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Tallokas ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Tallokas is located in Brooks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tallokas
      • Estimated population in 2019: 171 people
    • Dixie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Barney
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Morven
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Fodie
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Fodie is located in Brooks County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fodie
      • Estimated population in 2019: 5,037 people
    • Quitman
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Colquitt County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Funston
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Hartsfield
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Riverside
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Riverside is located in Colquitt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Moultrie
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Berlin
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Doerun
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Minnesota
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Minnesota is located in Colquitt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnesota
    • Norman Park
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Ellenton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Cook County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Adel
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
    • Sparks
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Decatur County
    • Vada
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Vada is located in Decatur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vada
      • Estimated population in 2019: 56,457 people
  • Grady County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Spence
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Spence is located in Grady County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spence
    • Woodland
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodland is located in Grady County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland
      • Estimated population in 2019: 353 people
    • Cairo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Midway
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Midway is located in Grady County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
    • Good Hope ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Good Hope is located in Grady County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Good Hope
      • Estimated population in 2019: 300 people
    • Whigham
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Reno
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Reno is located in Grady County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
      • Estimated population in 2019: 285 people
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Cotton
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Pelham
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Sale City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Pebble City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Pebble City is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pebble City
    • Camilla
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenough
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenough is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenough
      • Estimated population in 2019: 3,304 people
    • Flint
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Flint is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flint
    • Greenwood ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Greenwood is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
    • Baconton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • De Witt
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • De Witt is located in Mitchell County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Witt
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 154 people
  • Tift County
    • Omega
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Worth County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Anderson City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Anderson City is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson City
    • Bridgeboro
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Liberty Hill
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Liberty Hill is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Hill
    • Alfords
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Alfords is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alfords
  • Leon County (FL)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Chastain, with the one closest to Chastain listed first.
    • Iamonia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Iamonia is located in Leon County (FL)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iamonia
    • Miccosukee
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Chastain ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Chastain.

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

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

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

  • Big Ochlocknee Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • White Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
  • Big Creek Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • County Line Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Little Ochlocknee Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Wilson Cemetery #1
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Providence Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Georges Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Murphy Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Jones Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (261 more) ...
    • Ochlocknee Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Hendry Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Springhill Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)

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.<2>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Chastain had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Ochlocknee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
  • Meigs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Patten
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Patten is located in Thomas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Patten
  • Bay
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Bay is located in Colquitt County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bay
  • Hartsfield
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Thomasville
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Moultrie
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Pelham
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Boston
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Berlin
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Camilla
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Metcalf
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Metcalf is located in Thomas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metcalf
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Dixie
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Bayboro ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Bayboro is located in Colquitt County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bayboro
    • Minton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Minton is located in Worth County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minton

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

Newspapers Published in Chastain ...

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 31 newspapers that have been published in the area around Chastain.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Chastain, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Chastain.

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 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 Chastain:

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>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 Chastain, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 from Point A (ie- Chastain) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.