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

Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Cottonham. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Cottonham to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Cottonham, please Contact Us.

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 Cottonham (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 Cottonham. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Cottonham is historic, it would have been located within present day Bryan 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 Bryan County: Bulloch, Chatham, Effingham, Evans & Liberty.

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

  • Bryan County     (The home county of Cottonham)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Fort McAllister
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Fort McAllister is located in Bryan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort McAllister
    • Keller
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Keller is located in Bryan County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
    • Richmond Hill
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellabell
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Chatham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Coffee Bluff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Coffee Bluff is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coffee Bluff
    • Nicholsonville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Nicholsonville is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicholsonville
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,869 people
    • Montgomery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Montgomery is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montgomery
      • Estimated population in 2019: 2,719 people
    • Vernonburg
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Vernonburg is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernonburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 123 people
    • Georgetown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Skidaway Island
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Skidaway Island is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Skidaway Island
    • Grubbs
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Grubbs is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grubbs
    • Ogeechee Farms
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Ogeechee Farms is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogeechee Farms
    • Isle of Hope
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Isle of Hope is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle of Hope
    • Abercorn Heights
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Abercorn Heights is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Abercorn Heights
    • Bona Bella
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Bona Bella is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bona Bella
    • Liberty City
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Liberty City is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty City
  • Effingham County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Meldrim
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Eden
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Exley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Exley is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Exley
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 2,894 people
    • Rincon
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Rincon is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rincon
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,655 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rincon <2>
    • Marlow
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Marlow is located in Effingham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marlow
  • Liberty County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Sunbury
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Fleming
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Midway
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Riceboro
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Screven Fork
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Screven Fork is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Screven Fork
      • Estimated population in 2019: 771 people
    • Flemington
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Trinity
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Trinity is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinity
      • Estimated population in 2019: 1,893 people
    • Doe Run Estates
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Doe Run Estates is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doe Run Estates
      • Estimated population in 2019: 736 people
    • Garden Acres
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Garden Acres is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Acres
      • Estimated population in 2019: 8,713 people
    • Martin Woods
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Martin Woods is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Martin Woods
      • Estimated population in 2019: 383 people
    • Tupelo Trail
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Tupelo Trail is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tupelo Trail
      • Estimated population in 2019: 347 people
    • Bryan Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Bryan Village is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bryan Village
  • McIntosh County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Shellman Bluff
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Crescent
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Valona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Townsend
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Beaufort County (SC)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cottonham, with the one closest to Cottonham listed first.
    • Daufuskie Island
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Harbour Town
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Harbour Town is located in Beaufort County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harbour Town
    • Pritchardville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Pritchardville is located in Beaufort County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pritchardville
    • Hardeeville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Point Comfort
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Point Comfort is located in Beaufort County (SC)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Point Comfort

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

Cemeteries Near Cottonham ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cottonham.

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

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

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

  • Burnt Church Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bryan Neck Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Strathy Hall Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
  • Richmond Hill Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Patterson Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Wild Horn Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Wild Heron Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Cherry Hill Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • New Guinea Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Bethlehem Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Waldburgh Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Wilkins Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (124 more) ...
    • Hopeton Plantation Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Woodstock Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Old Church Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 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.

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

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

  • Keller
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Keller is located in Bryan County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keller
  • Burroughs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Burroughs is located in Chatham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burroughs
  • Isle of Hope
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Isle of Hope is located in Chatham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Isle of Hope
  • Dorchester
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Dorchester is located in Liberty County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dorchester
  • Savannah
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Fleming
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Central Junction
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Central Junction is located in Chatham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central Junction
  • Pooler
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Wheat Hill
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Wheat Hill is located in Chatham County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheat Hill
  • Riceboro
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Bloomingdale
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
  • South Newport
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • South Newport is located in McIntosh County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Newport
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • McIntosh
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • McIntosh is located in Liberty County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McIntosh
    • Monteith
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Monteith is located in Chatham County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monteith
    • Tybee Island
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Cottonham ...

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 178 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cottonham.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cottonham, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cottonham.

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 Cottonham:

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Cottonham, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Cottonham) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.